ON  AND  Off 


/""S 


THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

<> 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


ON  AND  OFF  THE  SADDLE 


CHARACTERISTIC  SIGHTS   AND  SCENES 

FROM  THE   GREAT   NORTHWEST 

TO  THE   ANTILLES 


fond  of  novelty  " 

PLINY 


G.  P.  PUTNA  S 

NEW   YORK  LONDON 

rcet  24  Bedford  Street,  Strand 

ftnicfeerfcocfeer  frees 
1894 


ON  AND  OFF  THE  SADDLE 


CHARACTERISTIC   SIGHTS   AND   SCENES 

FROM   THE   GREAT   NORTHWEST 

TO   THE   ANTILLES 


BY 

LISPENARD   RUTGERS 


" Human  nature  is  fond  of  novelty" 

PLINY 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S   SONS 

NEW   YORK  LONDON 

27  *  29  West  236.  Street  24  Bedford  Street,  Strand 

TTbe  Ifcnfcfeerbocfcer  press 
1894 


COPYRIGHT,   1894 

BY 

G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 
Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London 


Electrotyped,  Printed  and  Bound  by 

Ubc  "Knickerbocker  jpress,  mew 
G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 


Contents. 


PAGE 

1.  AUTUMN  IN  THE  YELLOWSTONE  PARK  .  i 

2.  ALASKA  AND  ITS  ISLANDS      ...  20 

3.  CAMPING  IN  THE  YOSEMITE  ...  48 

4.  A    MID-WINTER    EXCURSION    IN    THE 

ROCKY  MOUNTAINS   ....  57 

5.  SOUTHERN  CALIFORNIA  AND  ITS  ATTRAC- 
TIONS       79 

6.  EN  ROUTE  TO  THE  CITY  OF  MEXICO       .  94 

7.  A  MEXICAN  COCK-FIGHT        .        .        .  101 

8.  THE  CITY  OF  MEXICO     .        .        .        .119 

9.  BULL-FlGHTING  IN  MEXICO    .        .        .  146 

10.  A   ROCKY-MOUNTAIN   PICTURE          .  .       l66 

11.  THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  ANTILLES        .        .172 

12.  A  WESTERN  CYCLONE     .        .        .        .194 


iii 


•(Illustrations* 


ICEBERGS  IN  ALASKAN  WATERS  Frontispiece 
IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES  .  .57 
OUR  HUNTING  PARTY  RETURNING  TO  CAMP  166 


"  The  effect  of  travel  on  a  man,  whose 
heart  is  in  the  right  place,  is  that  the  mind 
is  made  more  self-reliant :  it  becomes 
more  confident  of  its  own  resources." 

DAVID  LIVINGSTONE. 


A  STORY  is  told  of  a  hunting 
party  in  a  remote  part  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  having  met  an  old 
French  priest,  who,  with  staff  in  hand 
and  a  knapsack,  was  enjoying  a  pedes- 
trian tour  through  the  country. 

Prompted  by  curiosity,  they  inquired 
of  him  what  brought  him  to  that  distant 
region,  when  he  told  them  that  his 
home  was  in  a  small  village  in  France. 

A  few  years  before,  he  had  been  laid 
up  seriously  ill  with  a  fever.  One  night, 
falling  into  a  deep  slumber,  he  dreamed 
that  he  had  died,  and  on  reaching 
Paradise  the  Great  Father  said  to  him  : 
"  My  son,  what  did  you  think  of  the 
beautiful  world  I  gave  you."  With 
bowed  head  he  answered :  "  I  never 
saw  anything  of  it  except  my  own 
little  native  village." 


Vlll 

Upon  awaking,  he  determined  that, 
should  he  recover  and  circumstances 
permit,  he  would  see  something  of  the 
beautiful  world. 

"  And  that/'  answered  he,  "  is  how 
you  find  me  here  in  these  grand  moun- 
tains." 

It  has  been  said  that  of  all  natural 
gifts  a  love  of  natural  beauty  surely 
brings  most  happiness  to  the  possessor 
of  it, — happiness  altogether  unalloyed 
and  unpurchasable,  created  by  the  mere 
rustle  of  green  leaves,  the  mere  ripple 
of  brown  waters,  alike  refreshing  as  it 
is  to  the  mind,  and  strengthening  to 
the  body. 

"The  lightness  of  spirits  accom- 
panying bodily  health  carry  you  like 
wings  over  the  rough  places  that  must 
be  traversed  by  weary  steps,  when  the 
wings  are  not  there." 


autumn  in  tbe  Yellowstone 
parfc. 


The  Drive  in  from  the  West — Scenes  in  a 
Wild  Country — A  Sociable  Horse- Thief 
—  Yellowstone  Wonders — A  Race  with  a 
Prairie  Fire. 

FOUR  prancing  horses  —  Peanuts, 
Antelope,  Mag,  and  Grizzly — 
none  of  them  having  more  than  two 
feet  at  a  time  on  terra  firma,  so  anxious 
were  they  to  be  off  ;  for  the  morning  at 
Beaver  Cafton  in  northern  Idaho,  where 
we  had  been  resting  for  the  night,  in  a 
very  ancient  and  airy  tent,  broke  upon 
us  with  a  crispness  that  even  in  autumn 
brought  color  to  our  cheeks  and  made 
our  very  fingers  tingle. 

All  seated  in  a  good  spring  wagon, 
our  guide  and  driver  Jim,  famous  for 


Autumn  in  the 


having  been  a  cowboy  in  Montana,  and 
for  having  "  killed  his  man/'  one  of  the 
necessary  qualifications  to  be  respected 
by  his  comrades,  swung  aloft  his  wicked- 
looking  whip,  and  we  were  off  with  a 
jerk,  as  though  we  had  been  aided  by  a 
cannon-ball  from  the  rear. 

Our  way  led  over  an  extended  prairie, 
with  sharp  mountain  peaks  visible  in 
the  distance ;  the  scene  soon  changes, 
and  we  find  ourselves  ascending  to  a 
high  table-land  with  a  beautiful  rolling 
country  on  either  side. 

A  drive  of  twenty  miles  back  from 
the  railroad,  where  the  shriek  of  the 
locomotive  is  never  heard,  we  began  to 
see  signs  of  animal  life  ;  prairie  chickens 
fly  up  in  front  of  our  horses,  alighting 
fifty  feet  off,  so  tame  were  they,  and 
with  our  revolvers  we  secured  enough 
to  feed  five  times  our  party. 

On  we  plunged,  until,  when  passing 
over  the  brow  of  a  hill,  we  suddenly 
came  upon  a  herd  of  antelope,  about 


Yellowstone  Park 


two  hundred  in  the  band.  Dumb  with 
amazement  at  our  sudden  intrusion, 
they  raise  their  pretty  heads,  and,  after 
a  moment's  pause,  with  a  graceful  bound 
they  fly  as  though  swept  by  the  wind, 
their  delicate  limbs  hardly  seeming  to 
touch  the  ground. 

Our  shadows  begin  to  lengthen  as  we 
sight  in  the  distance  Snake  River,  where 
a  good  game  dinner  awaits  us,  and  a 
comfortable,  clean  tent  stands  ready  to 
receive  us,  as  we  stretch  our  limbs  after 
our  fifty-mile  drive. 

A  row  of  nightcaps,  respectively  red, 
white,  and  blue,  emerged  from  under  as 
many  blankets.  Before  the  rising  sun 
fairly  reached  the  horizon,  and  after  a 
splash  in  real  ice  water,  we  were  ready 
for  food,  and  then  for  anything.  Our 
horses,  especially  Grizzly,  seemed  quite 
intoxicated  with  the  exhilarating  air, 
and  with  a  dash  we  were  on  our  way 
again. 

Plunging  into  dense  forests  for  many 
3 


Autumn  in  the 


miles,  the  monotony  was  broken  by 
the  occasional  sight  of  a  flying  fox, 
some  Indian  hunters,  and  frequent 
shots  at  coyotes.  A  little  episode 
illustrative  of  border  life  occurred  dur- 
ing the  morning,  which  assisted  in  keep- 
ing up  the  excitement.  Rounding  a 
turn  in  the  mountain,  in  a  very  secluded 
spot,  down  in  a  kind  of  basin,  a  strange 
sight  greeted  our  eyes,  quite  causing  us 
to  forget  the  dust  that  had  accumulated 
in  them. 

A  small,  rough  log  hut,  surrounded  by 
six  horsemen,  each  with  his  Winchester 
levelled  at  it.  "  After  a  horse-thief,  you 
bet/'  says  Jim,  as  he  cracked  his  whip, 
and  sent  his  horses  flying,  to  get  us  out 
of  reach  of  a  possible  leaden  shower. 
Hardly  had  the  crack  of  the  whip 
sounded,  before,  flash,  flash,  came  a 
volley  from  the  hut,  and  as  quickly 
each  horseman's  trigger  was  touched, 
the  Winchesters  belching  forth  a  dozen 
or  more  shots ;  when  a  yell  of  truce 
4 


Yellowstone  Park 


proceeded  from  the  hut,  and  the  battle 
was  over. 

All  eagerness  to  see  everything,  we 
hastened  back  to  behold,  standing  in 
the  open  doorway  the  captive,  a  rough 
yet  handsome  fellow,  and  as  cool  as, 
yes,  several  degrees  cooler  than,  a 
cucumber,  as  he  sullenly  stepped  out, 
saying :  "  I  give  up,  fellows — got  no 
more  lead/'  Without  ceremony  they 
secured  his  horse,  which  had  been 
quietly  grazing  near  by  during  the 
battle,  and  securely  tying  him  on  the 
animal  with  ropes  about  his  body  and 
limbs,  leaving  his  hands  free,  compelled 
him  to  ride  about  ten  feet  in  front  of 
them,  we  all  following  in  the  rear.  His 
captors  had  been  pursuing  him  for 
seventy-five  miles. 

Soon  coming  to  a  stream,  we  all 
stopped  for  luncheon,  and  a  sociable 
time  we  had — the  prisoner  telling  how 
he  had  evaded  his  pursuers  by  short 
cuts  through  the  mountains,  covering 
5 


Autumn  in  the 


his  tracks,  etc.  Luncheon  over,  our 
course  lay  in  different  directions,  and 
with  a  good-by  we  parted. 

The  scenery  increases  in  beauty  as  we 
advance,  our  way  being  through  a  series 
of  mountain  cuts,  beautiful  valleys,  high 
table-lands,  and  often  fording  swift- 
running  streams.  Lake  Henry,  with  its 
grassy  shores,  lies  three  thousand  feet 
below  the  peaks  reflected  in  it,  its 
islands  seeming  to  float  on  its  surface. 
Cliff  Lake,  some  miles  off,  with  an  un- 
known depth,  the  plummet  finding  no 
bottom  at  one  thousand  three  hundred 
feet,  is  teeming  with  fish  below  and 
ducks  above. 

After  climbing  a  very  steep  mountain 
which  made  even  Grizzly  want  to  stop 
for  breath,  the  steaming  geysers  of  the 
Yellowstone  National  Park  burst  upon 
our  view,  about  three  hundred  feet  be- 
low us  in  the  valley.  A  slight  shudder 
at  first  creeps  over  us  as  we  descend  into 
the  steaming  atmosphere,  feeling  as 
6 


Yellowstone  Park 


though  we  were  entering  the  crater  of  a 
volcano ;  but  the  shades  of  evening 
were  already  upon  us,  and  with  a  few 
words  of  encouragement  from  Jim  our 
horses  soon  landed  us  at  the  hotel  at 
Fire  Hole  Basin,  one  hundred  miles  from 
Beaver  Caflon,  our  starting-point. 

The  pen  or  brush  is  equally  power- 
less to  describe  the  wonderful  geysers 
of  the  Park.  One  must  stand  in  their 
awful  presence,  see  with  his  own  eyes, 
feel  with  his  senses,  and  contemplate 
with  his  mind  their  immensity,  and 
then  in  vain  will  he  endeavor  to  solve 
the  great  problem, — whence  and  by 
what  power  are  they  produced  ?  There 
are  numerous  theories,  but  we  will  pass 
on  for  a  closer  view. 

Here  we  are  approaching  them ;  in 
all  directions  we  see  them  puffing  like  so 
many  colossal  engines  ;  you  hesitate  as 
your  guide  urges  you  to  follow  him. 
While  gazing  in  one  direction,  you  are 
startled  by  one  of  the  smaller  geysers 
7 


Autumn  in  the 


suddenly  erupting  near  by,  throwing 
its  boiling  contents  some  twenty  feet 
in  the  air. 

You  step  about  uneasily,  threading 
your  way  midst  hundreds  of  little 
geysers,  sending  their  streams  about  as 
high  as  your  head.  The  large  geysers 
erupt  at  certain  and  quite  frequent 
intervals,  the  most  regular  being  "  Old 
Faithful/'  which  spouts  every  fifty-five 
minutes,  throwing  a  stream  six  feet  in 
diameter  to  the  height  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet. 

Approaching  one  of  the  larger  geysers 
just  previous  to  its  eruption,  the  earth 
seems  to  tremble,  as  with  a  rumbling 
noise,  like  smothered  thunder,  it  begins 
to  give  vent  to  its  pent-up  force.  First 
it  shoots  up  a  few  modest  spurts,  then 
with  a  rattling  roar  and  terrible  groans, 
dense  volumes  of  steam  fill  the  air ;  up, 
up  the  boiling,  seething  water  is  hurled, 
higher  and  higher,  accompanied  by  a 
deafening  boom  and  a  sound  as  of 


Yellowstone  Park 


mighty  breakers  dashing  against  a  rocky 
shore,  until  a  column  of  water,  fifteen 
feet  in  diameter  and  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  high,  stands  before  you,  as  a 
river  hurled  upwards  like  a  rocket. 
For  twenty  minutes  its  steaming  waters 
shoot  upwards,  falling  in  graceful  spray, 
producing  an  enchanting  effect  in  the 
dancing  sunbeams. 

Space  will  not  permit  of  a  detailed 
description  of  the  attractions  of  this 
locality.  "  Hell's  Half-Acre,"  a  lake 
fairly  boiling  and  steaming  with  fury; 
the  "  Devil's  Punch-Bowl,"  a  peculiarly 
and  wonderfully  formed  bowl  some  ten 
feet  in  diameter,  perpetually  boiling 
and  bubbling  up  several  feet  high  ;  to 
gaze  down  the  yawning  depths  some 
fifty  feet  into  the  "  Devil's  Well,"  with 
its  clear,  transparent,  boiling  waters, 
makes  the  beholder  shrink  and  say :  "  I 
have  seen  enough." 

We  paid  a  farewell  visit  to  "  Old 
Faithful"  to  see  it  by  moonlight :  it  is 
9 


Autumn  in  the 


always  on  time,  and  with  watch  in 
hand  we  stood  waiting. 

The  night  was  calm  and  beautiful, 
one  of  those  quiet,  restful  nights  the 
memory  of  which  lingers  long  after; 
the  great  pale  moon  appeared  brighter 
than  usual  as  it  looked  down  on  us 
through  the  clear  atmosphere  while  the 
moments  ticked  away,  when  lo !  the 
dismal  moan,  the  nerve-shattering  boom 
announces  the  time  is  up,  and  with  a 
deafening  roar  a  golden  lake  bounds 
upwards,  sparkling  in  the  moon's  rays. 

We  stood  in  silence  before  the  en- 
trancing spectacle.  Such  a  sight  was 
worth  a  lifetime,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
nothing  of  more  marvellous  beauty 
could  ever  greet  the  human  eye. 

It  has  been  truly  said  by  those  who 
have  seen  the  Grand  Cafton  of  the 
Yellowstone  that  no  language  can  do 
justice  to  its  wonderful  grandeur  and 
beauty. 

Behold    a    mighty  gorge,   carved  by 


Yellowstone  Park 


the  impetuous  waters  during  countless 
ages  in  volcanic  rocks,  descending 
gradually  until  reaching  a  depth  of 
about  two  thousand  feet. 

We  were  fortunate  to  have  our  first 
view  of  it  on  one  of  those  bright,  calm 
days,  when,  with  its  own  hallowed  at- 
mosphere, Heaven  seemed  to  diffuse 
itself  over  the  earth's  face  with  a  solemn 
smile,  no  less  sweet  than  solemn. 

With  each  fresh  lift  on  the  precipitous 
terraces  the  view  broadened  until  the 
great  valley  lay  unrolled  at  our  feet. 

About  thirty  miles  long,  the  walls,  in 
many  cases  almost  vertical,  are  eroded 
into  towers,  spires,  and  minarets  of 
colors  most  brilliant,  surpassing  all  the 
expectations  that  were  conjured  up 
in  our  imaginations. 

The  pure  white  of  the  decomposing 
feldspar,  blended  with  sulphur  yellows, 
intermingled  with  bright  red,  colored 
with  iron,  the  brilliant  rainbow  hues 
in  rich  abundance  brought  out  in  strong 


Autumn  in  the 


relief  by  the  dark  green  pines  along  the 
cliffs  serve  as  a  background  for  the 
warmer  colors, — the  whole  uniting  to 
form  a  scene  of  enchanting  splendor. 

We  look  over  the  dizzy  precipice  far 
down  to  where  the  river  is  boiling  and 
surging  as  it  plunges  on  its  way,  battling 
with  mighty  boulders  as  though  pro- 
testing against  its  imprisonment  as  it 
lashes  the  solid  walls.  Yet  all  is  silence  ; 
distance  has  swallowed  up  the  sound  of 
its  mighty  roar. 

The  Great  Falls  of  the  Yellowstone 
leap  over  a  precipice  three  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  high.  As  we  approach  we 
hear  the  suppressed  roar  resembling 
distant  thunder ;  it  seemed  as  though 
the  mountain,  unable  to  support  its 
great  weight  of  waters,  shook  to  its 
foundation — the  cataract  became  a  fall- 
ing river. 

Prodigal  nature  has  here  outdone 
herself.  As  this  mighty  play  of  waters 
plunges  amid  the  rocks,  the  dense  clouds 


Yellowstone  Park 


of  mist  and  spray  produced  by  the 
whirling  mass  as  it  dashes  with  the 
noise  of  heavy  artillery  against  the 
resisting  rocks  produces  a  rainbow  not 
only  richer  in  color,  but  grander  and 
clearer  than  we  had  ever  seen  before. 
The  mountains  and  valley  caught  and 
emphasized  the  golden  rays  which  were 
flooding  the  scene. 

Truly  it  has  been  said  that  the  grand 
in  nature  more  than  in  art  demands 
homage. 

Our  four-in-hand  dashed  up  to  re- 
ceive us  at  7  A.M.,  after  a  breakfast  by 
candle-light,  for  our  return  drive.  A 
hard  climb  found  us  at  the  summit  of 
the  mountain  near  by.  In  the  distance, 
seemingly  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  ahead, 
the  view  was  obscured  by  smoke,  in- 
deed— a  prairie  fire ;  not  a  strange 
sight  to  any  of  us.  On  we  travelled, 
but  the  expression  and  earnest  look 
on  Jim's  face  indicated  to  us  that  it 
might  be  something  serious. 
13 


Autumn  in  the 


About  noon,  as  we  were  emerging 
from  a  dark,  wild,  narrow  cafton  in 
cutting  our  way  through  the  moun- 
tains, we  were  confronted  with  three 
prairie  wolves,  who  were  just  entering 
the  canon  we  were  leaving.  They  were 
fleeing  with  desperate  speed,  and  see- 
ing us  they  stopped  short,  gazing  about 
them  with  a  petrified  stare,  uncertain 
as  to  which  course  to  take,  but  they 
quickly  dashed  by  us,  within  twenty 
feet,  and  soon  disappeared.  "  A  danger 
signal,"  said  Jim,  as  he  took  an  extra 
grip  on  his  reins  and  stretched  his 
neck.  "  A  big  fire  we  Ve  got  about 
us." 

True  enough,  for  as  we  passed  out 
into  the  open  prairie  we  beheld  a  sight 
which  sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through 
us  when  we  comprehended  the  situation. 

We   had  been    travelling  westward, 

while  the  fire  had  been  travelling  in  an 

easterly    direction,    and    had    already 

passed  to  the  left  of  us  and  apparently 

14 


Yellowstone   Park 


closed  up  our  rear  retreat.  The  horses 
sniffed  the  air  excitedly,  looking  about 
them  in  a  wild,  uneasy  manner,  their 
ears  moving  to  and  fro,  as  they  nerv- 
ously neighed  to  each  other. 

Away  in  the  distance,  where  the 
prairie  met  the  sky,  a  heated,  quivering 
line  arose,  surmounted  by  a  dark,  waver- 
ing cloud.  It  was  the  prairie  on  fire ! 
The  wind  was  blowing  almost  a  gale, 
directly  towards  us,  and  the  long  dead 
grass  was  as  dry  as  tinder  ;  the  fire  was 
plainly  spreading  rapidly,  and,  with  a 
wild  shout  to  the  horses,  Jim  showed 
the  stuff  of  which  he  was  made. 

Off  to  the  right  we  shot  at  a  furious 
speed,  leaving  the  road  and  taking  to 
the  pathless  prairie  ;  a  band  of  antelope, 
with  eyes  like  fire,  came  rushing  past 
us,  adding  to  the  excitement  and  fury 
of  our  horses.  A  glance  to  the  left 
showed  that  the  fire  was  gaining  on  us, 
as,  with  a  horrible  crackling  sound,  we 
could  see  the  bright  flames,  twenty  feet 
15 


Autumn    in  the 


high,  shooting  upwards,  and  tongues 
of  fire  leaping  ten  yards  at  a  time  before 
the  gale. 

The  fire  was  fast  overhauling  us.  The 
dark  rolling  smoke  soon  overcast  the 
sky  above  our  heads,  seeming  to  im- 
prison us.  Jim  muttered  something, 
and  his  face  grew  ashen,  as  the  flecks  of 
foam  from  our  wild  horses  flew  over  his 
breast.  It  seemed  as  if  our  hour  had 
come. 

On  we  went,  the  fire  momentarily 
drawing  nearer,  the  billows  of  smoke 
each  instant  growing  denser  and  the 
heat  more  suffocating,  at  times  seeming 
as  though  it  would  blister  our  faces. 
Should  we  throw  out  our  guns  and 
traps  and  lighten  the  wagon  ?  Not  a 
word  from  Jim,  but  his  strong  arm  and 
steady  eye  were  intent  on  saving  us,  as 
we  thundered  on  at  terrific  speed. 

Shall  we  ever  forget  that  moment 
when  for  an  instant  the  smoke  cleared, 
and  we  realized  we  were  being  literally 
16 


Yellowstone  Park 


encircled  by  the  raging  fire— caused 
by  contrary  and  varying  winds, — only 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  ahead,  there 
was  an  opening  of  several  hundred  feet 
for  our  escape  !  Could  we  reach  it 
before  the  gap  closed  ? 

Again  the  smoke  wreaths  whirled 
around  us  ;  our  eyes  were  smarting  from 
the  heat ;  the  panting  horses,  mad  with 
terror,  blindly  rushed  through  the  dark- 
ness, as  we  yelled  words  of  encourage- 
ment to  them.  Could  they  hold  out? 
It  was  a  race  for  life  !  A  few  moments 
and  we  dashed  through  the  opening, 
then  not  one  hundred  feet  wide,  and 
were  safe ! 

We  reined  up  in  a  short  time,  after 
fording  a  stream,  and  with  deep-drawn 
sighs  of  relief,  bounded  out  of  the 
wagon. 

Our    noble   horses,   our    preservers, 

were  trembling  with  excitement,  reeking 

with    perspiration,   and   almost    white 

with     foam.      We     all    set    to    work 

17 


Autumn    in   the 


to  rub  and  dry  them,  while  soothing 
and  quieting  them  with  words  of  praise, 
for  we  owed  our  lives  to  these  four 
noble  fellows. 

An  hour's  rest  and  rearranging  found 
us  ready  to  resume  our  journey,  with  a 
determination  to  complete  our  entire 
trip  of  one  hundred  miles  without 
stopping  for  the  night  if  it  were  pos- 
sible. 

We  soon  left  the  ugly  smoke  behind 
us,  and  set  our  eyes  and  minds  to  enjoy 
the  loveliness  of  the  scene  which  lay 
ahead  of  us  ;  indeed,  we  were  now  more 
than  ever  sensible  to  the  charms  of 
nature.  The  gale  soon  ceased,  leaving 
only  as  a  remembrance  a  soft  zephyr  to 
fan  our  cheeks;  the  sun  was  bright  and 
nature  was  all  smiles. 

Our  eyes  soon  regained  their  wonted 
clearness,  and  as  we  passed  on  in  our 
journey,  leaving  the  wild,  open  prairie 
for  the  mountains  and  valleys  where 
the  quivering  aspen  gave  life  to  the 
18 


Yellowstone    Park 


solitude,  the  whole  country  about  us 
seemed  illuminated  with  its  varied 
colors,  for  autumn  had  come  with  her 
magic  touch  and  transformed  it  into  a 
mammoth  bouquet. 

The  sun  was  slowly  sinking  as  we 
drew  beside  a  pretty  stream,  where  we 
dismounted  to  take  supper — one  of 
those  lovely  secluded  spots  that  nature 
sometimes  kindly  furnishes. 

The  placid  waters  reflected  the 
heavens,  the  weeping  willows  kissed 
the  ripple,  the  humble  flowerets  grew 
unbidden  within  the  sacred  precincts, 
and  tranquil  as  eternity  lay  in  the 
breathless  skies  the  forms  of  the 
mighty  hills  about  us. 

After  supper,  just  before  leaving,  as 
we  quietly  smoked  our  pipes  around  the 
crackling  camp  fire,  the  stillness  of  the 
scene,  in  contrast  with  that  of  the  morn- 
ing, lulled  us  into  silent  meditation. 

There  are  dark  shadows  on  the  earth, 
but  its  lights  are  stronger  in  contrast. 
19 


Hiasfca  anfc  its  Manbs, 


i. 


Along  the  Coast —  Waters  Alive  with  Salmon 
and  Other  Fish — Appearance  of  the 
Natives — Their  Peculiar  Habits  and 
Customs — An  Indian  Wake. 

TJANDKERCHIEFS  were  waving, 
1  1  and  our  restless  little  boat  gave 
great  puffs  of  satisfaction  and  fairly 
screamed  as  the  cable  that  had  re- 
strained her  of  her  liberty  splashed  into 
the  blue  water  and  she  glided  smoothly 
away  from  a  crowd  of  sad-looking  up- 
turned faces  out  into  the  pretty  harbor 
of  Victoria. 

The  city  of  Victoria,  the  seat  of  gov- 
ernment of  British  Columbia,  situated  at 
the  southeastern  extremity  of  Vancou- 
ver Island,  occupies  a  commanding  com- 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


mercial  position.  Its  many  handsome 
buildings  present  a  pleasing  picture  as 
viewed  from  the  harbor.  The  solid  red 
brick  government  buildings,  in  the 
Swiss  style  of  architecture,  are  espe- 
cially imposing.  The  broad  drives  and 
general  attractiveness  of  this  little  city 
of  some  ten  thousand  souls  engender 
a  slight  feeling  of  homesickness,  as  we 
start  on  our  lonely  journey  northward 
for  Alaska,  conscious  of  the  fact  that 
soon  we  shall  be  almost  one  thousand 
miles  from  the  reach  of  the  telegraph 
and  of  the  civilized  world. 

Before  introducing  my  readers  to 
Alaska,  a  few  words  as  to  its  extent  may 
be  of  interest.  The  name  Alaska  is  a 
corruption  of  Al-ay-ek-say  the  name 
given  by  the  native  islanders  to  the 
main  land,  and  signifies  "  great  country/' 
In  this  respect  it  is  well  named. 

Bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Arctic 
Ocean,  east  by  the  Northwest  Territory 
of  Canada,  south  and  west  by  the  Paci- 

21 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


fie  Ocean,  Behring's  Sea  and  Strait,  it 
contains  about  531,400  square  miles. 
All  the  other  States  and  Territories  of 
the  United  States  combined  contain 
2,970,000  square  miles  ;  hence  Alaska 
is  nearly  one  fifth  the  size  of  all  these. 
Its  vast  area  can  thus  be  conceived. 

Our  first  stop  was  at  Port  Townsend, 
the  port  of  entry  for  Puget  Sound.  It 
lies  at  the  entrance  to  that  magnificent 
body  of  water.  The  place  is  of  small 
consequence,  but  situated  as  it  is  in  a 
pretty  bay,  with  some  cosy  residences 
scattered  on  the  hills  and  bluff  over- 
looking the  beautiful  still  water,  it  is 
very  attractive  to  the  eye. 

Our  vessel  now  points  her  bow  due 
north,  and  threads  her  way  among 
numerous  islands.  To  the  left  of  us 
rises  the  Olympian  range  of  mountains 
in  the  distance;  to  the  right  of  us, 
solitary  and  alone,  and  enveloped  seem- 
ingly in  a  golden  vapor,  rises  the  lordly 
Mount  Baker,  one  of  nature's  own 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


grand  monuments,  stretching  its  head 
some  10,600  feet  above  us. 

We  turn  into  our  bunks  at  an  early 
hour  anticipating  an  early  breakfast. 
Awaking  from  a  refreshing  sleep  we  find 
ourselves  at  Nanaimo,  the  great  coaling 
station  at  Vancouver  Island  ;  all  hands 
spend  the  day  fishing  and  visiting  the 
coal-mines.  Another  night  of  sound 
sleep  prepares  us  for  our  long  journey, 
Nanaimo  being  the  last  stopping-place 
before  reaching  Alaska. 

Our  route  lies  along  the  eastern  coast 
of  Vancouver  Island.  The  mountains 
border  closely  upon  the  water's  edge, 
the  shore  is  indented  by  numerous  bays 
and  tiny  inlets,  and  innumerable  islands 
are  scattered  in  our  pathway. 

For  days  we  thread  our  way  midst 
these  countless  islands,  through  narrow 
watery  lanes  that  wind  among  them. 
One  hour  our  craft  will  be  ploughing 
her  way  through  a  fierce,  swift-running 
current,  soon  to  find  herself  in  calm, 
23 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


blue,  deep  waters,  troubled  only  by  a 
gentle  breeze  encompassed  all  the  time 
by  an  ever-shifting  panorama  of  rock, 
verdure,  thick  forest,  and  picturesque 
mountains. 

Protected  as  we  are  by  Vancouver 
Island,  no  motion  is  felt  from  the  Pacific 
until  we  reach  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound, 
at  the  upper  end  of  the  island,  when 
the  long  swells  come  rolling  in  upon 
us,  and  we  are  awakened  at  midnight 
by  being  tossed  about  in  our  berths. 

Early  morning  on  deck  presents  to 
us  a  beautiful  scene.  To  our  left  the 
great  ocean  reaches  far  away  to  the 
horizon,  not  a  sail  or  even  a  bird  in 
sight.  It  is  a  calm,  restful  picture.  On 
our  right  lies  the  main  shore  of  British 
Columbia,  fringed  by  countless  islands, 
heavily  timbered  with  spruce,  the  Cas- 
cade range  of  mountains  in  the  back- 
ground. Queen's  Sound,  also  Fitzhugh 
and  Smith's  Sounds,  into  which  flow  the 
Bella  Coola,  Salmon,  and  other  rivers  of 
24 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


less  note,  are  before  us,  great  flocks  of 
wild  fowl  frolicking  in  their  waters.  At 
the  head  of  these  streams  are  located 
some  of  the  important  posts  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

Our  next  point  of  interest  is  Cape 
St.  James,  the  most  southerly  point 
of  Queen  Charlotte's  Islands.  These 
islands  lie  some  seventy-five  miles  out 
in  the  Pacific,  from  the  main  land.  The 
mountainous  ones  are  clothed  with 
dense  forests  of  cedar,  spruce,  and 
hemlock,  stretching  down  to  the  water's 
edge,  so  dense  in  many  places  that  it 
seems  as  though  there  was  barely  room 
for  a  single  person  to  gain  a  foothold. 

The  Hydah  Indians,  numbering 
about  six  hundred,  live  on  these 
islands.  With  the  aid  of  our  field 
glasses  we  can  discern  them  on  the 
shore  and  in  their  canoes  paddling 
along  the  coast.  They  live  by  hunting 
and  trapping  mink,  bear,  and  other 
game.  Their  origin,  in  the  absence  of 
25 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


any  record,  can  only  be  surmised,  but 
from  their  features,  legends,  and  carv- 
ings, it  seems  probable  that  they  are 
castaways  from  eastern  Asia. 

Our  journey  northward  partakes  of 
the  character  of  usual  sea-voyages :  the 
days  pass  with  the  regulation  tramp 
about  the  deck,  stray  whales  occasion- 
ally announce  their  presence  by  squirt- 
ing aloft  and  bellowing  their  adieux  as 
they  toss  their  tails  heavenward  and 
dive  into  deeper  waters. 

Each  one  is  now  intent  on  catching 
a  glimpse  of  Cape  Fox,  the  first  point 
visible  of  Alaska,  that  great  territory 
which  in  1867  cost  the  United  States 
$7,200,000,  a  seemingly  large  sum  at  the 
time,  for  what  was  generally  considered 
a  huge  iceberg,  but  the  revenue  now 
derived  from  its  possession,  and  its 
prospective  revenue,  must  convince 
the  most  incredulous  of  the  wisdom 
of  the  purchase. 

We  are  now  entering  the  waters  of 
26 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


Alaska.  After  journeying  northward 
some  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
passing  the  Prince  of  Wales  Island  to 
our  left,  we  reach  our  first  stopping- 
place,  Fort  Wrangel. 

Clustered  on  the  shore  to  greet  and 
stare  at  us  are  the  native  men,  women, 
and  children,  and  an  odd-looking  lot 
they  are.  The  men  as  a  general  thing 
are  offerfsive  in  their  appearance,  with 
great,  large,  broad  heads,  and  heavy, 
sullen  countenances. 

The  women,  as  a  rule,  are  homely, 
with  here  and  there  an  attractive  face, 
most  of  them  arrayed  in  brilliant- 
colored  blankets  and  gaudy  petticoats, 
trimmed  with  a  fringe  of  deer-skin,  just 
long  enough  to  conceal  partly  the  bare 
feet  and  ankles.  From  the  wrists  is 
suspended  a  string  of  sliells  or  pebbles, 
a  species  of  Alaska  bangle  ;  from  the 
lower  lips  of  many  of  the  women  a 
silver  pin  protrudes,  called  a  labrette, — 
some,  however,  are  made  of  wood. 
27 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


Many  of  the  younger  women  have 
their  faces  blackened.  In  some  cases 
this  is  done  to  preserve  the  complexion 
which,  strange  to  say,  is  even  valued 
among  such  a  barbarous  tribe,  while  in 
other  cases  it  is  done  as  a  mark  of 
mourning  for  the  dead.  The  blackening 
is  done  with  seal  oil  and  soot. 

In  front  of  the  native  huts  are 
erected  "  totem  sticks,"  which  are  large 
poles  standing  up  some  thirty  to  sixty 
feet  high ;  they  are  really  an  Indian 
coat-of-arms.  Each  family  of  any 
account  has  its  own  "  totem  stick " 
erected  in  front  of  the  house  of  the 
head  of  the  family,  the  size  of  the  stick 
and  the  amount  of  carving  indicating 
the  wealth  and  position  of  the  pos- 
sessor. 

The  figures  most  generally  carved  on 
the  poles  represent  eagles,  alligators, 
and  fish,  also  heads  of  men  and  beasts. 
The  hieroglyphic  carvings  on  the  poles 
are  said  to  portray  the  curious  legends 
28 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


of  the  far  distant  tribes  and  many  of 
their  strange  customs.  In  the  song  of 
"  Hiawatha  "  Longfellow  says  : 

And  they  painted  on  the  grave  posts, 
On  the  graves  yet  unforgotten, 
Each  his  own  ancestral  totem, 
Each  the  symbol  of  his  household, 
Figures  of  the  bear  and  reindeer, 
Of  the  turtle,  crane,  and  beaver. 

The  peculiar  usages  of  these  people 
may  be  imagined,  when  it  is  stated  that 
when  a  chief  dies  his  wives  all  pass  to 
his  next  heir  ;  in  many  cases  they  fre- 
quently fall  to  the  lot  of  the  son,  grand- 
son, or  nephew,  as  the  case  may  be ; 
the  curious  state  of  the  family  circle 
is  thus  evident.  In  some  instances 
these  widows  purchase  their  freedom 
by  giving  blankets,  but  this  is  done 
chiefly  only  among  the  rich. 

A  study  of  their  habits  is  most 
interesting.  They  do  not  seem  to 
understand  comfort,  or  else  do  not 
desire  it.  As  is  well  known,  it  rains  in 
this  region  about  three  hundred  days 
29 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


in  the  year.  The  natives  naturally 
become  accustomed  to  being  rained 
upon,  and  probably  inherit  a  love  of 
moisture. 

During  our  day  at  Fort  Wrangel, 
while  the  sun  was  shining,  a  family  of 
Thlinket  Indians  a  short  distance  back 
in  the  country  were  huddled  together  in 
their  hut ;  but  as  soon  as  it  commenced 
to  rain,  one  and  all  emerged,  sat  around 
on  logs  and  chatted,  seeming  to  enjoy 
it.  The  natives  take  little  account  of 
time  ;  they  paddle  along  the  coast  for 
hundreds  of  miles  on  the  most  trivial  of 
errands,  the  question  as  to  where  they 
stay  or  sleep  apparently  being  of  small 
consequence. 

The  fish  stories  as  told  by  those 
who  have  visited  Alaska  might  seem  to 
be  greatly  exaggerated,  but  such  is 
probably  not  the  case.  The  fish  sup- 
ply here  is  apparently  inexhaustible. 
Salmon  appear  in  solid  schools  six  and 
eight  feet  deep. 

30 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


The  Strickeen  River  back  of  Fort 
Wrangel  and  the  outlets  of  some  of 
the  inland  waters  to  the  salt  water  are 
at  certain  seasons  actually  choked  with 
squirming  salmon,  causing  them,  in  their 
eagerness  to  pass  through,  to  crowd 
each  other  above  the  surface  of  the 
water,  thus  creating  for  the  time  a  solid 
bank  of  fish.  Smaller  fish  are  also  to 
be  found  in  surprising  quantities.  Her- 
ring swarm  in  the  channels.  The  candle 
fish,  about  six  inches  long,  which  is 
delicious  eating,  can  be  caught  by  the 
million.  A  pailful  can  be  had  from  a 
native  for  the  merest  trifle.  A  host  of 
other  varieties  abound  until  the  lover 
of  fishing  here,  tires  of  the  sport. 

Leaving  Fort  Wrangel,  we  continue 
our  journey  northward,  the  scenery 
increasing  in  its  beauty.  The  timbered 
shores,  to  which  we  had  by  this  time 
become  so  accustomed,  do  not  grow 
monotonous,  but  rather  seem  to  in- 
crease in  grandeur.  The  endless  brill- 
si 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


iant  green  of  these  mountainous  islands, 
kept  verdant  by  the  almost  continuous 
rains,  lend  a  peculiar  charm.  Our  vessel 
steams  through  channels  so  narrow  at 
times  that  the  rushing  waters  seem  to 
bear  us  onward  without  any  effort  on 
our  part. 

The  entire  country  through  which 
we  wind  our  way  is  so  abundantly  tim- 
bered that  one  feels  almost  bold  enough 
to  assert  that  no  such  wooded  region 
exists  elsewhere  on  the  globe ;  from 
the  highest  mountain  peaks  to  the 
water's  edge  great  mammoth  trees 
stand  like  a  compact  army. 

Early  morning  found  us  approaching 
Juneau,  opposite  Douglas  Island.  The 
boom  of  our  little  cannon,  echoing  all 
around  us  through  the  mountains, 
awakens  the  inhabitants,  who  stand  idly 
staring  at  us  as  we  throw  ashore  our 
cable.  Here  are  located  the  great  mines 
and  a  large  stamp  mill. 

The  usual  modes  of  amusement  com- 
32 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


mon  in  all  mining  camps  are  resorted  to 
— gambling,  drinking,  and  its  accom- 
paniments. During  the  night  the 
dance-houses  are  alive.  At  the  most 
prominent  one,  the  owner  and  fiddler, 
who  acts  in  the  capacity  of  orchestra 
and  general  manager,  informed  us  that 
he  came  to  Alaska  intending  to  give 
his  attention  to  missionary  work,  but 
finding  a  good  opening  to  coin  money 
in  this  line  of  business,  he  could  not 
make  up  his  mind  to  leave  it. 

Indian  girls  to  the  number  of  twenty- 
five  to  thirty,  ranging  in  age  from  twelve 
to  sixteen  years,  were  the  bait  to  attract 
customers,  and  well  they  served  their 
purpose.  White  men  largely  outnum- 
bered the  Indians,  the  latter  being 
rather  shy  about  displaying  their  terpsi- 
chorean  powers.  After  each  of  the 
dances,  chewing-gum  and  apples  are 
presented  to  the  girls,  while  the  men 
drink  "  hoochinoo,"  a  drink  distilled 
by  the  Indians,  made  from  molasses  or 

33 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


sugar,  with  flour,  potatoes,  and  yeast, 
altogether  the  vilest  and  most  powerful 
of  spirits. 

At  midnight,  we  were  present  at  a 
kind  of  "  wake  "  over  the  daughter  of 
an  Indian  chief,  who  had  suddenly  died 
and  was  to  be  cremated  the  following 
day.  Clad  in  high  top-boots,  each  per- 
son carrying  a  lantern,  we  tramped 
over  a  pathless  bit  of  country  some 
distance  back  from  the  coast,  through 
a  muddy,  slimy  soil.  Some  time  before 
we  reached  the  spot  the  groans  and 
shrieks  of  the  mourners  could  be  heard. 
Arriving  at  the  chiefs  hut,  our  guide 
first  crawls  in,  crouching  low,  and  dis- 
appears. Soon  emerging,  he  leads  us 
in  single  file  through  the  opening,  only 
two  feet  high. 

A  weird  sight  presents  itself.  In  the 
centre  is  a  fire  of  loose  logs  and  brush  ; 
the  smoke,  after  filling  the  hut  as  well 
as  the  lungs  of  the  occupants,  passes 
out  through  a  hole  in  the  roof.  Seated 

34 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


around  the  fire  on  the  ground  are  the 
wives  and  relatives  of  the  chief.  At 
the  farther  end,  on  a  kind  of  bed,  lie  the 
remains  of  the  chief's  pretty  daughter, 
a  girl  of  eighteen.  Her  black  hair  lay 
loosely  over  the  pillow.  A  tiny  red 
handkerchief  encircled  her  pretty 
throat ;  a  deer-skin  was  laid  over  her 
body,  and  over  it  her  exquisitely 
moulded  arms  were  gracefully  crossed  ; 
at  the  head  and  foot  of  the  body  a  pine 
knot  was  burning,  sending  flashes  of 
light  over  the  scene. 

All  was  silent  as  we  advanced  to 
view  the  remains,  the  wind  whispered 
mournfully  without,  and  she  looked  in- 
deed as  though  she  but  slept.  The 
chief  stood  at  the  head  ;  a  huge  fellow, 
with  a  hard,  villainous  countenance  ;  he 
embraced  us  warmly,  much  to  our  dis- 
comfort. After  this  ceremony  we  all 
squatted  about  the  fire,  enlarging  the 
circle  of  mourners,  and  fell  in  with  the 
general  chorus  as  best  we  could. 

35 


II. 

Glaciers — A  Tramp  through  Inland  Forests 
— Game,  etc. — Sitka  Waters  by  Moonlight. 

OUR  next  objective  point  is  Chilcat, 
in  latitude  59°  13',  being  nearly 
the  same  latitude  as  Cape  Farewell,  at 
the  southern  extremity  of  Greenland. 
Bundled  in  our  warmest  clothes,  we 
were  on  deck  to  welcome  the  rising 
sun,  a  sight  of  rare  beauty  at  this  high 
latitude.  The  morning  star  stood  over 
the  tops  of  the  mountains,  growing 
fainter  and  fainter,  proclaiming  in  her 
silent  way  that  the  gates  of  day  were 
unclosing. 

The  rainy  mists  of  the  morning  rolled 
away,  and  quickly  the  scene  of  a  mo- 
ment ago  was  changed  to  one  of  rare 
beauty.      The    morning    was    superb. 
36 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


The  blue  waves  danced  and  sparkled  in 
the  sunlight ;  a  fresh,  cold  breeze  blew 
from  the  north,  and  our  little  vessel, 
seemingly  inspired  with  the  gorgeous 
scene,  ploughed  her  way  right  merrily 
through  the  clear  waters. 

Chilcat  is  of  small  interest.  It  is  in- 
habited by  the  Chilcat  Indians,  a  small 
tribe.  A  few  miserable  dwellings  are 
scattered  along  the  shore.  An  estab- 
lishment is  located  there  in  which  they 
extract  oil  frbm  herring,  which  are 
found  in  the  waters  near  at  hand  in 
countless  numbers.  Steamers  rarely 
penetrate  farther  north  in  the  inland 
waters  than  this  place.  It  is  about  two 
hundred  miles  in  a  direct  line  from 
Mount  St.  Elias,  which  rears  its  head 
19,500  feet  above  sea-level. 

We  took  on  board  at  this  place  two 
prospectors,  who  had  just  arrived  from 
the  Yukon  region,  after  an  absence  of 
two  years.  Almost  every  vestige  of 
clothing  with  which  they  had  started 

37 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


had  gone  the  way  of  all  material  things, 
and  from  their  feet  up  they  were  clad 
in  skins,  reminding  one  much  of  the 
pictures  of  Robinson  Crusoe.  Besides 
venison  and  fowl,  they  had  subsisted 
largely  on  berries,  crab-apples,  and  fish. 
In  their  wanderings,  as  they  informed 
us,  they  discovered  that  the  Indian 
tribes  in  the  interior  live  largely  inde- 
pendent of  each  other,  and  at  distances 
of  about  two  hundred  miles,  and  gen- 
erally speak  different  languages. 

The  afternoon  found  us  steaming  in 
a  southerly  direction  for  Sitka.  Not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  our  eyes  and 
senses  had  from  the  beginning  of  our 
trip  been  charmed  with  the  scenery, 
the  route  from  Chilcat  to  and  around 
Baranoff  Island  to  Sitka  fairly  surpassed 
anything  yet  experienced  in  point  of 
variety  and  beauty. 

Although  during  our  journeyings  we 
had  encountered,  as  all  travellers  to 
Alaska  must  expect,  abundance  of  rain 
38 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


(at  Fort  Tongass  the  rainfall  was  re- 
ported as  118.30  inches  for  the  year), 
we  were  now  favored  with  perfect 
weather.  The  deep  clear  waters  were 
as  calm  as  an  inland  lake.  Around  us, 
here  and  there,  floated  icebergs  as  blue 
as  the  purest  indigo,  while  gigantic 
glaciers  like  frozen  fortresses  look  down 
upon  us, — amid  such  varied,  rapturous 
scenes  the  eye  almost  aches,  and  the 
spirit  inclines  to  weary. 

For  reasons  'best  known  to  our  pilot, 
we  anchored  for  the  night.  It  was  a 
superb  night.  The  moon,  three-quarters 
full,  tinged  everything  with  a  brilliant 
hue.  About  us  was  a  fleet  of  icebergs. 
The  snow  upon  the  mountain  peaks 
glistened  like  polished  silver  as  the 
moon  rose  in  the  heavens.  Great 
schools  of  whales,  snorting  monsters, 
gambolled  about  us.  The  silvery  water 
lay  rising  and  falling,  a  picture  never 
for  a  moment  the  same,  yet  every 
moment  more  beautiful. 

39 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


The  following  day  brought  us  to 
Sitka,  the  capital  and  chief  city  of 
Alaska,  on  the  west  coast  of  Baranoff 
Island.  Under  the  name  of  New 
Archangel,  it  was  formerly  the  capital 
of  Russian  America. 

As  our  vessel  approached  its  moor- 
ings, native  men,  women,  and  tiny 
children  came  paddling  out  to  meet  us 
in  their  canoes,  some  to  pick  up  any 
cast-off  articles  from  tin  cans  to  cigar 
stumps ;  some  to  sell  us  fur  caps, 
baskets,  and  various  useless  articles,  and 
others,  by  smiling  glances  or  mournful 
appeals,  to  win  from  us  our  loose 
change  or  anything  we  had  to  give. 

A  view  of  Mt.  Edgecomb,  with  its 
pointed  snow-capped  summit,  is  ob- 
tained from  Sitka.  Looking  seaward, 
"  Sitka's  Thousand  Isles  "  arrest  the  eye. 

The  city  itself  is  old  and  dilapidated  ; 

the  most  conspicuous  structure  is  the 

Greek  church,   built  in  the  form  of  a 

Greek  cross,  with  a  green  dome  in  the 

40 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


centre.  It  contains  a  curious  font,  and 
a  fine  painting  of  the  Virgin  and  Child, 
a  copy  of  the  celebrated  one  in  Moscow. 
The  drapery  of  the  figure  is  silver,  the 
halo  around  the  head  being  of  gold, 
leaving  nothing  of  the  original  painting 
to  be  seen  but  the  faces  and  back- 
ground. The  church  is  reached  by 
three  broad  steps  leading  to  four  doors. 
No  woman  can  pass  the  threshold  of 
these  doors,  but  the  sterner  sex  can 
enter  and  view  the  gorgeous  vestments, 
and  bishop's  crown  loaded  with  pearls 
and  amethysts. 

On  the  edge  of  the  city  the  Sitka 
Indians  have  their  huts,  some  of  them 
being  quite  comfortable  and  warm.  As 
usual,  the  fires  are  built  in  the  centre  of 
the  room,  the  smoke  finding  its  way  out 
by  a  hole  in  the  roof.  They  usually 
consist  of  one  apartment,  the  various 
members  of  the  family  distributing 
themselves  on  an  elevated  platform 
around  the  edge  of  the  room. 
41 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


The  natives  have  the  large  head  and 
broad  face,  a  distinctive  feature  of  all 
the  Indians  we  observed  in  Alaska.  As 
is  well  known,  large  heads  are  found 
in  cold  regions,  and  smaller-sized  in 
warmer  ones.  It  is  argued  that  men 
with  large  heads  endure  cold  better 
than  those  with  small  ones.  More  vi- 
tality being  required  to  sustain  life  in 
cold  climates,  nature  gives  largest  heads 
in  colder  regions. 

The  Lapps  have  the  largest  heads 
in  Europe  in  proportion  to  their  size. 
Then  come  the  Norwegians,  Swedes, 
Danes,  Germans,  French,  Italians,  the 
Arabs  having  the  smallest  heads  of  all 
men  in  Europe. 

The  climate  of  this  part  of  Alaska  is 
by  no  means  severe.  The  Japan  cur- 
rent, the  "  Kuro-Siwo,"  a  black  stream 
of  warm  water  flowing  northward  from 
the  coast  of  Japan,  tempers  the  at- 
mosphere, bringing  fogs  and  mists  that 
envelop  the  mountains  and  valleys. 
42 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


Space  will  permit  but  the  briefest 
mention  of  many  other  interesting 
features  of  this  great  country.  As  to 
vegetables,  fine  potatoes  are  raised  in 
certain  sections,  onions,  and  a  great 
variety  of  berries,  as  well  as  crab 
apples,  many  of  them  in  a  wild  state. 

Among  the  interesting  sights  are  the 
numerous  seals  which  are  constantly 
seen  gliding  swiftly  through  the  water, 
their  black  heads  and  large  shining  eyes 
just  peeping  above  the  surface. 

On  account  of  the  mass  of  accumu- 
lated timber  of  ages,  fallen  trees,  stumps, 
limbs,  and  entangled  underbrush,  to- 
gether with  the  marshy  softness  of  the 
ground,  step  after  step  your  foot  sinks 
into  great  sods  of  reeking  moss,  and 
pedestrianism  is  by  no  means  rendered 
easy. 

After  careful  preparation  we  sallied 
forth  on  a  tramp  back  in  the  country. 
The  vast  forests  of  gigantic  fir,  cypress, 
and  hemlock  trees,  by  which  we  were 

43 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


soon  surrounded,  fairly  bewildered  us ; 
many  of  them  measuring  over  thirty  feet 
in  circumference.  It  is  fair  to  assume 
that,  while  there  are  larger  trees  in  the 
world  than  are  found  in  this  distant 
country,  there  does  not  exist  on  the 
globe  trees  of  equal  magnitude  in  such 
vast  numbers. 

The  trunk  of  one  huge  king  of  the 
forest  lay  prostrate  across  our  path  like 
a  great  wall  some  ten  or  more  feet  high. 
Other  large  trees  had  taken  root  from 
the  top  of  the  prostrate  trunk,  drawing 
nourishment  from  the  fallen  monarch, 
and  tossed  their  proud  heads  a  hundred 
feet  in  the  air. 

From  the  large  trees  the  "  sons  of 
nature "  make  their  canoes,  some  of 
them  seventy  feet  long,  very  wide  and 
deep,  and  with  a  capacity  for  a  hundred 
or  more  warriors. 

Around,  and  all  about  us,  as  we  pull 
our  now  heavy  limbs  after  us,  our  long 
walking  poles  sinking  deep  in  the  mire, 
44 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


crawling  animals  with  glassy  eyes  and 
slimy  coats  come  out  of  their  holes  and 
gaze  at  us  as  we  unconsciously  intrude 
upon  their  domains  ;  possibly  humanity 
had  never  before  trespassed  upon  them. 

Returning,  we  pass  near  the  spot 
where  it  is  said  that  "  all  the  good 
Indians  live  " — the  Indian  bury-ground. 

The  hunter  and  trapper  can  find  here 
abundant  game.  Bear,  deer,  wolf,  fox, 
beaver,  ermine,  marten,  and  other  small 
game  are  prolific.  The  feathered  tribe 
are  also  well  represented.  Flocks  of 
sea-gulls  float  over  the  water,  or  crowd 
the  projecting  rocks  ;  ducks,  geese,  and 
snipe  fly  hither  and  thither ;  the  king- 
fisher, with  its  peculiar  lonely  whistle, 
and  the  eagle  perch  themselves  on 
dizzy  cliffs,  and  look  down  contentedly 
on  the  animated  scene. 

The  shadows  were  commencing  to 
lengthen  as  we  returned  to  Sitka. 
After  our  fatiguing  but  interesting 
tramp,  our  vessel  was  preparing  for  her 

45 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


start  homeward  during  the  early  morn- 
ing hours. 

We  mount  the  deck  of  our  "  floating 
castle  "  and  clamber  into  the  rigging 
and  watch  the  retiring  sun  with  an 
indescribable  sense  of  pleasure.  Before 
us  lay  the  island-studded  sea  enshrouded 
in  a  soft  golden  haze ;  the  heavens  were 
divinely  painted,  the  distant  waters  re- 
flecting its  gorgeous  colors,  as  the  red 
disc  sank  from  view  ;  gleaming  bars  of 
light  shot  over  the  scene,  the  waters 
blazing  back  a  crimson  greeting. 

The  night  wore  on ;  beneath  the 
shadow  of  those  mighty  hills  lay  the 
black  deep  waters,  until  the  heavens 
sow  it  with  stars  and  transform  it  into 
a  fairy  scene.  The  full  moon  rose 
calmly  in  the  dark  blue  vault  of  the 
night  sky.  It  is  the  same  old  moon 
greeting  us  here  in  this  region  far  away, 
that  from  childhood  we  have  gazed 
upon  and  wondered  at,  in  places  far 
remote. 

46 


Alaska  and  its  Islands 


The  ship's  bell  tolls, — how  the  hours 
have  sped  !  It  is  midnight, — the  match- 
less moonlight  for  which  this  latitude  is 
noted,  with  its  softest  beams  bathes  the 
slumbering  city.  It  is  nature's  holiest 
hour.  The  music  of  the  rippling  water 
falls  gently  on  our  ears.  Never  did 
sound  so  sweetly  harmonize  with  scene 
as  on  this  night  when  in  my  rapture  I 
said  to  the  passing  hour,  "  Stay,  for 
thou  art  fair." 


47 


Campino  in  tbe  U)osemite. 


Autumn  Days  and  Nights  in  Famous 
Scenes — A  Welcome  Camp-Fire — Among 
the  Big  Trees. 

THE  smile  of  the  rising  sun  was  just 
waking  the  earth,  the  glow  of  the 
morning  was  speeding  down  the  moun- 
tain side,  announcing  to  the  valley 
below  the  advent  of  another  day,  as  we 
emerged  from  our  tent  at  the  edge  of 
the  valley,  where  we  had  camped  late 
on  the  previous  night.  In  thirsty 
draughts  we  drink  the  freshness  of  the 
hour,  and  in  the  glow  of  enthusiasm 
eagerly  seek  our  first  view  of  the  great 
valley. 

Before  us  is  a  scene  such  as  a  flying 
bird  has,  bewildering  and  dizzy  to  our 
48 


Camping   in    the  Yosemite 


untutored  eyes.  The  whole  panorama 
of  mountain,  valley,  and  sky  was  mag- 
nificent ;  the  night  vapors  were  rolling 
away  ;  far  down  in  the  valley,  the  dark 
green  pines  fringed  the  base  of  the 
stupendous  perpendicular  rocky  walls. 
Midway  up,  the  thick  white  mist  veiled 
from  view  the  rugged  rocks,  above 
which  arose,  in  strong  relief  against 
the  clear  autumnal  sky,  the  "  cathedral 
spires/'  seemingly  to  rise  from  some 
floating  chateau  in  the  air. 

Saddling  our  ponies,  we  prepared  to 
explore  the  yawning  gulf  below  us ;  the 
clear  invigorating  air  stimulates  our 
ponies  to  hilarious  activity,  rendering 
useless  the  clanking  steel  at  our  heels. 
Following  the  zigzag  road  down  the 
mountain  side,  views  of  rare  beauty 
and  impressive  grandeur  present  them- 
selves at  almost  every  turn. 

Like  a  glittering  wire  of  steel,  the 
Merced  River,  resembling  a  tiny  brook, 
gleams  so  far  down  in  the  valley  that 
49 


Camping   in    the  Yosemite 


the  murmur  of  its  waters  is  not  heard. 
The  "  Bridal  Veil"  Falls,  so  appropri- 
ately named,  throw  a  gauzy  sheet  of 
sparkling  water  from  the  dizzy  rocks 
nine  hundred  and  forty  feet  above  the 
valley. 

Gazing  up  from  the  bed  of  the  valley, 
one  is  dwarfed  by  nature  and  abashed 
by  her  grandeur.  Great  walls  of  rock 
imprison  us  on  every  side.  "  El  Capi- 
tan,"  called  by  the  Indians  To-tock-a- 
nu-la,  "great  chief  of  the  valley,"  an 
almost  perpendicular  mass  of  solid  rock 
rising  three  thousand  three  hundred 
feet  above  the  valley,  is  on  one  side. 
"  South  Dome,"  the  Indian  name  being 
Tis-sa-ack,  "  goddess  of  the  valley," 
touches  the  hurrying  clouds  five  thou- 
sand feet  above  us.  "  Round  Tower," 
prettily  entitled  by  the  "  sons  of  the 
forest  "  Hun-to,  meaning  the  "  watching 
eye,"  two  thousand  four  hundred  feet 
high,  lies  as  an  infant  among  its  com- 
panions. On  every  side  we  are  en- 
50 


Camping   in    the  Yosemite 


compassed  by  noble  mountains  of 
magnificent  proportions,  the  highest 
being  "  Cloud's  Rest,"  towering  six 
thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
above  the  valley,  crowned  with  dainty 
pink  clouds  breaking  and  floating  about 
its  brow. 

Mirror  Lake,  calm  and  restful,  re- 
flecting minutely  the  bold  rocky  walls 
above  it,  as  well  as  the  tiny  twig  that 
has  sprung  into  life  far  up  on  a  ledge 
on  the  mountain,  presents  a  picture  of 
surpassing  beauty  ;  the  essential  still- 
ness of  the  scene  seemed  to  attune  our 
souls  to  musing,  as  in  silence  we  con- 
templated the  placid  water.  All  was 
still  save  a  passing  flock  of  wild  doves, 
their  silky  breasts  reflected  in  dazzling 
rays  on  the  bosom  of  the  lake,  the 
mighty  walls  of  rock  throwing  back 
the  echo  of  their  plaintive  cooings. 

Vernal,  Nevada,  and  Yosemite  Falls 
pitch  their  foaming  waters  over  the 
rocky  cliffs,  the  latter  two  thousand  six 
51 


Camping   in    the  Yosemite 


hundred  feet  above  us.  Clambering  up 
the  trail  to  Glacier  Point,  we  firmly 
grip  our  long  poles  as  we  gaze  down  a 
precipitous  cliff,  three  thousand  two 
hundred  feet,  into  the  valley  below. 

The  cunning  hand  of  art  has  not 
marked  the  course  of  these  cooling 
streams  that  fall  so  gracefully  to  make 
green  the  valley  below,  or  piled  up  these 
mighty  rocks,  but  all  about  us  we  are 
made  to  realize  the  marvellous  work 
of  "The  Great  Architect  "! 

Midst  the  varied  scenes  the  hours 
quickly  pass,  the  declining  sun  bidding 
us  hie  to  our  camp.  The  higher  moun- 
tain peaks,  like  monarchs  mighty  in 
their  superiority  looking  down  on  their 
fellows,  now  send  the  shadows  of  their 
greatness  upon  them.  Our  feelings  as 
we  wander  over  the  mountains  at  this 
twilight  hour  are  quite  untranslatable. 

Long  before  reaching  camp  the  sun 
had  sunk  behind  the  great  hills  and  the 
dull,  gray  sky  warns  us  to  hasten  on 
52 


Camping   in    the  Yosemite 


our  way — as  the  moon  on  which  we 
had  counted  to  light  our  returning  trail 
would  be  obscured.  A  gentle  wind 
arose,  gradually  increasing  into  a  gale, 
until  at  every  opening  in  the  mountains 
it  rushed  upon  us  with  increasing  force. 

Darkness  was  slowly  gathering  over 
the  world  and  folding  it  out  of  sight ; 
cold  winds  swept  down  through  the 
gloomy  gorges,  shaking  and  bending 
low  the  trees,  showers  of  dead  leaves 
raining  about  us  ;  high  up  in  the  peaks, 
mingled  with  the  hoarse  winds  howling 
tempestuously,  could  be  heard  the 
crackle  of  dead  limbs,  and  now  and 
then  the  crash  of  some  mighty  tree, 
uprooted  and  hurled  prostrate  among 
its  fellows. 

Reaching  camp,  located  in  a  cove 
sheltered  from  the  wind,  a  steaming 
supper  around  a  brilliant  camp-fire 
soon  makes  us  oblivious  to  the  roaring 
winds  about  us  ;  a  pleasurable  sense  of 
lassitude  seems  to  render  our  Havanas 
53 


Camping   in    the  Yosemite 


more  fragrant  as,  seated  in  this  temple 
of  nature,  we  watch  the  fantastic 
wreaths  of  red  fire  dance  in  the  air 
against  the  pitchy  darkness  of  the 
heavens,  rising  and  falling  in  such 
graceful  forms  that  the  eye  is  riveted 
in  admiration. 

The  morning  dawned  in  all  its 
autumnal  splendor — one  of  those  fair 
mornings  when  the  air  is  laden  with 
a  subtle,  dainty  gladness,  and  every 
pulse  within  us  seems  to  throb  with 
new  life ;  the  rude  winds  had  robbed 
many  of  the  trees  of  much  of  their 
foliage,  leaving  the  bare  limbs  like  a 
network  on  the  skies,  and  the  ground 
illuminated  with  golden  leaves. 

We  rode  forth  elated  with  the  scene  ; 
the  mode  of  movement  was  exhilarating, 
and  all  was  brightness  and  splendor; 
the  little  squirrels  wait  for  us  in  the 
trees  and  perk  their  heads  from  their 
safe  retreat  as  we  pass  under,  the 
music  of  the  mountain  stream  blend- 
54 


Camping   in   the  Yosemite 


ing  harmoniously  with  the  rustling  dead 
leaves. 

The  pen  can  but  inadequately  convey 
an  idea  in  any  way  realistic  of  the  mam- 
moth trees — Sequoia  gigantea — located 
some  distance  from  the  valley.  One 
must  stand  in  their  presence  and  gaze 
upon  them,  so  straight  and  tall,  as  in 
their  silent  majesty  they  sway  their 
heads  three  hundred  feet  above  you, 
and  wander  around  their  huge  trunks, 
measuring  from  eighty  to  one  hundred 
feet  in  circumference,  and  ride  through 
a  miniature  tunnel,  cut  through  one  of 
the  larger  trees,  capable  of  permitting 
the  passage  of  a  large  mountain  coach  ; 
while  another  giant  of  the  forest, 
measuring  some  thirty  to  forty  feet  in 
diameter,  can  shelter  in  its  hollow 
burned-out  trunk  over  a  dozen  eques- 
trians, still  having  walls  sufficiently 
thick  to  sustain  the  huge  tree  above ! 

We  pitched  our  camp  in  the  after- 
noon near  a  mountain  stream,  where 

55 


Camping   in    the  Yosemite 


its  waters,  having  overflowed  its  boun- 
daries, had  formed  a  beautiful  sheet. 
The  sun,  like  a  weary  traveller,  was  sink- 
ing in  the  western  sky,  stretching  its 
crimson  rays  across  the  scene,  the  waters 
flashing  back  the  brilliant  colors ;  the 
mountains  are  painted  in  golden  tints, 
and  the  trees,  seeming  all  ablaze,  sway 
to  and  fro  like  mammoth  torches. 

Softly  the  twilight  fades  into  night. 
One  by  one  the  silvery  points  of  light 
break  out  of  the  darkened  heavens,  and 
the  great  red  moon,  like  a  ruby  in  the 
sky,  slowly  rises  seemingly  from  its  nest 
in  the  distant  mountains,  sending  her 
salutations  across  the  tremulous  wave- 
lets of  the  water  in  a  golden  shaft  of 
light.  The  odor  of  decaying  leaves  per- 
fumes the  air,  as  we  close  our  eyes  on 
this  beautiful  Indian  summer  night, 
wondering  if  such'  a  day  will  ever  dawn 
again. 


Ill 

I 

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H  fIDMfflinter  Excursion  in 
tbe  IRocfc^  fIDountains. 


A  Mining-Camp  Hotel — Miners  at  Work 
and  Play — Thirteen  Thousand  Feet  in  the 
Air — Scenes  and  Incidents  of  the  Trip — 
An  Encounter  with  a  Bear. 

A  HEARTY  breakfast  over,  we 
stepped  out  into  the  crisp,  in- 
vigorating air,  so  familiar  to  those  who 
have  wintered  in  a  high  altitude.  Our 
shaggy,  rough-coated  ponies  were  await- 
ing us,  each  surmounted  with  a  huge 
Mexican  saddle — as  comfortable  as  an 
old-fashioned  arm-chair. 

In  full  flush  of  morning  enthusiasm, 
we  started — our  party  of  three  and  a 
guide.  We  had  our  chaplain,  full  six 
feet  two,  and  thin — well,  to  use  his  own 
words,  he  had  not  enough  flesh  on  his 
bones  to  catch  a  shrimp.  He  was  al- 
57 


A  Mid-Winter  Excursion 


ways  hungry,  but  he  was  capital  com- 
pany and  venerably  interesting. 

Our  professor  was  a  rotund,  jolly 
fellow,  whose  face  had  expanded  under 
the  influence  of  good  living,  until  his 
second  chin  had  extended  beyond  the 
limits  originally  assigned  for  it ;  he  was 
plumply  serene  and  ponderously  gra- 
cious, fond  of  society,  a  lawyer  by  pro- 
fession, one  of  that  tribe  who  fatten  on 
the  disputes  of  mankind,  with  gold- 
rimmed  spectacles  and  a  very  red  nose — 
(a  red  nose  has  always  been  presumptive 
evidence  of  overwork  at  the  bar !), — 
entertaining  and  full  of  anecdote. 

As  for  the  writer,  he  was  "  an  every- 
day young  man/*  devoted  to  travel, 
fond  of  studying  the  world  and  its 
people,  possessing  a  passionate  love  for 
fine  scenery  and  the  beautiful  things  in 
nature. 

Our  guide  sitting  erect  on  his  pony 
was  an  ideal  figure  of  a  Rocky  Moun- 
tain pioneer — tall,  erect,  and  muscular, 
58 


In.  the  Rocky  Mountains 


tanned  by  the  storms  and  exposure  of 
many  years — the  picture  of  health ;  a 
frame  on  whose  close-woven  fibres  dis- 
ease could  find  no  space  to  enter;  his 
broad-brimmed  hat,  buckskin  suit,  and 
spurs  with  rowels  like  miniature  wind- 
mills, all  combining  to  render  the  scene 
complete. 

Nothing  is  so  contagious  as  enthusi- 
asm and  we  all  soon  caught  the  com- 
plaint. 

Our  start  was  made  from  an  altitude 
of  over  ten  thousand  feet  above  sea- 
level,  yet  the  mountain  peaks  towered 
well  above  us,  glittering  brightly  in  the 
early  morning  sun.  The  way  at  first  led 
along  the  bleak  mountain  side,  with 
deep  snow-drifts  all  about  us  ;  for  a 
long  distance  we  rode  in  almost  silence, 
enjoying  the  luxury  of  breathing  such 
air,  the  mere  smell  of  which  seemed  to 
kill  twenty  years.  On  one  side,  as  far 
as  our  theatre  of  vision  reached,  was  one 
unbroken  plain  of  snow  ;  on  the  other, 
59 


A  Mid-Winter   Excursion 


the  eye  was  untrammelled,  with  nothing 
to  mark  the  view  save  the  strangely 
chiselled  peaks  that  stood  like  sentinels 
above  us  —  the  ensemble  forming  a 
wilderness  of  solitude. 

Our  course  soon  changed,  and,  enter- 
ing a  gorge,  we  plunged  deeper  into 
the  heart  of  the  mountains.  Striking  a 
narrow  trail,  we  passed  huge  boulders 
scattered  here  and  there,  dropped  by 
the  glaciers  in  their  migrations  in  ages 
long  ago.  Crystal  streams,  foaming 
madly,  work  their  way  down  the  moun- 
tain side,  some  starting  from  a  dizzy 
height  and,  dashing  against  the  ragged 
rocks,  reach  the  pool  below  in  finest 
spray  ;  others  come  thundering  down 
in  all  their  might,  rush  on  in  their 
course,  and  are  lost  in  the  river  below. 
With  the  aid  of  our  field-glass  we  could 
discern,  thousands  of  feet  below  us,  the 
silent  flowing  stream,  born  among  the 
snows  of  the  high  mountains. 

For  many  miles  we  continued  our 
60 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


way  amid  these  ravishing  scenes  and 
enchanting  sounds,  each  one  wrapped 
in  a  glow  of  imagination.  The  snow, 
which  had  for  some  time  been  falling, 
now  increased  in  violence,  until  we 
found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  raging 
storm,  accompanied  by  a  furious  wind, 
which  howled  about  us  wildly,  at  times 
rendering  our  progress  difficult.  We 
soon,  however,  discerned  in  the  dis- 
tance a  collection  of  tents — the  mining 
camp,  which  was  our  intended  haven 
for  the  night. 

Shortly  before  reaching  the  camp, 
our  attention  was  attracted  to  a  small 
procession  coming  toward  us.  Ap- 
proaching nearer,  we  perceived  a  poorly 
clad  miner  bearing  on  his  shoulder  a 
tiny  coffin  of  plainest  construction,  be- 
hind him  his  weeping  wife  and  a  few 
followers.  The  little  one,  as  we  after- 
ward learned,  had  fallen  down  the  shaft. 
We  drew  up  our  ponies  to  one  side,  and 
raised  our  hats  as  the  little  procession 
61 


A  Mid- Winter  Excursion 


silently  passed  on  its  way — the  wind 
sighing  a  requiem  and  the  snow  furnish- 
ing a  pall. 

Reaching  the  camp  after  our  long 
day's  ride,  we  were  not  reluctant  to 
dismount  and  stretch  our  limbs.  We 
halted  in  front  of  one  of  the  larger 
tents,  on  which  was  a  rough  sign, 
"  Bordin  and  Login."  A  small  boy 
with  an  ancient,  shiny  suit  of  clothes 
and  danger-signal  hair,  stood  within, 
staring  at  us ;  in  the  corner  of  the 
"  parlor/'  squatted  on  the  floor  close 
to  the  stove,  was  a  little  girl,  who 
did  not  notice  our  entrance.  After 
our  repeatedly  inquiring  of  her  if  we 
could  see  the  proprietor,  she  yelled, 
"  Mamma !  "  when  we  were  startled  by 
seeing  a  woman's  head  suddenly  appear 
in  a  forest  of  curl  papers  !  Meekly  in- 
quiring if  she  could  accommodate  us, 
and  receiving  an  affirmative  answer,  we 
seated  ourselves. 

The  landlady  shortly  made  her  ap- 
62 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


pearance,  fixed  up  in  the  latest  style, 
eyed  us  all  separately,  and  evidently 
satisfying  herself  that  we  were  all  right, 
gave  a  grunt.  She  was  a  woman  of 
fickle  temper,  and  ample  avoirdupois — 
full  of  business  and  not  bad-looking — 
so  thought  our  professor !  Did  we 
want  supper?  If  so,  what?  Our  chap- 
lain suggested  mountain  trout  or  any 
kind  of  fish ;  he  was  awful  hungry,  and 
could  eat  anything,  from  a  shark  to  a 
bathing  suit.  He  liked  fish  because  he 
believed  it  to  be  the  restorer  of  youth, 
the  fountain  of  perennial  previousness. 
If  she  had  no  fish,  well,  then,  anything 
would  do. 

We  took  our  seats  and  awaited  de- 
velopments. First  came  soup  in  large 
tin  pans — true,  it  was  hot,  but  our 
landlady  had  attempted  too  much  in 
trying  to  make  a  five-cent  bone  furnish 
soup  for  a  dozen  hungry  boarders ! 
Next  we  had  some  fine  venison  and 
potatoes,  which  we  were  voraciously 
63 


A  Mid-Winter   Excursion 


devouring  in  silence,  when,  looking  up, 
there  stood  our  hostess  with  arms 
a-kimbo,  who,  gazing  at  us  with  ap- 
parent astonishment,  said :  "  Well,  you 
ain't  a  crowd  I  'd  like  to  grub  by  con- 
tract." 

Supper  over,  we  sat  around  the  big 
stove  and  listened  with  interest  to  the 
stories  of  the  miners,  of  the  ups  and 
downs  of  their  lives,  their  hopes  and 
anticipations,  all  of  them  being  pro- 
spectively  rich ;  this  it  is  that  stimu- 
lates them  to  cling  to  the  hard  life  they 
have  selected. 

A  stroll  through  the  camp  was  sug- 
gested, the  whole  party  joining.  There 
*  were  two  rows  of  tents,  about  twenty- 
five  feet  between  them,  constituting 
the  so-called  street.  Most  of  the  tents 
were  well  lighted.  Peeping  in  at  the 
windows  or  doors,  we  found  the  occu- 
pants chiefly  engaged  in  playing  cards. 
A  number  of  the  tents  were  exclusively 
drinking  saloons. 

64 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


About  midway  down  was  a  large 
tent  with  an  American  flag  waving  over 
it — a  red  sign  reading  "  The  Home  " 
being  swung  to  the  breeze.  This  ap- 
peared to  be  the  main  rendezvous  of 
the  miner.  The  painful  strains  of  an 
accordion  were  audible,  and  here  gam- 
bling in  its  various  forms  was  in  full 
blast. 

Here  was  seen  the  anxious  and  worn 
faces  of  those  who  were  risking  their 
hard-earned  wages.  "  Gaming,  hot 
fever  of  hope  and  fear," — a  pitiable 
sight  indeed ! 

Many  were  sitting  about  asleep, 
drowsy  from  drink  ;  others  riotous  and 
boisterous  in  behavior.  No  law  was 
here  to  restrain  or  check  the  human 
passions.  Here  was  an  opportunity  to 
study  human  nature — one  side  of 
human  nature.  It  has  been  said  that 
the  face  is  the  soul  translated  into 
flesh ;  if  such  is  the  case,  what  must  be 
the  condition  of  these  souls? 
65 


A  Mid-Winter  Excursion 


Returning  to  our  tent,  thinking  over 
the  strange  scenes,  we  found  our  cots 
arranged  about  the  stove,  ready  for  us, 
and  each  one  rolling  himself  in  one  of 
those  marvellously  made  Navajo  blank- 
ets, made  by  the  Indian  tribe  of  that 
name, — blankets  which  seem  to  defy  the 
tooth  of  time, — we  were  soon  in 
dreams. 

The  gray  dawn  had  only  just  peeped 
through  the  windows,  when  the  camp 
was  astir.  A  refreshing  sleep  had  re- 
newed our  appetites.  Our  chaplain 
said  that  a  few  Sundays  previous,  after 
walking  two  miles  to  Sunday-school  one 
afternoon,  he  was  so  hungry  he  came 
very  near  eating  the  infant-class,  and 
this  morning  he  was  equally  hungry, 
and  the  manner  in  which  he  attacked 
an  elk  steak  gave  evidence  of  his  ve- 
racity. 

During  the  morning  we  descended 
into  a  mine  several  hundred  feet. 
The  night's  revelry  was  over,  the  men 

66 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


had  slept  off  the  effects  of  their  dissipa- 
tion, and  the  sound  of  the  pick  and 
shovel  was  heard  on  every  side  ;  all  in 
utter  darkness,  save  the  tiny  candles  in 
their  queer-shaped  iron  candlesticks, 
stuck  here  and  there.  The  superin- 
tendent informed  us  that  with  a  few 
exceptions  the  miners  were  constantly 
changing  from  one  mine  to  another,  as 
the  fancy  struck  them.  We  stood  gaz- 
ing on  the  active  scene  and  could  not 
help  thinking  what  a  busy  world  this 
is  ;  the  workers  are  always  changing, 
but  the  work  goes  on  and  will  go  on 
forever. 

It  is  said  that  the  Greenlanders  live 
in  the  hope  of  a  warm  heaven  and  in 
fear  of  a  cold  hell !  We  should  think 
that  miners  would  live  in  the  hope  of 
fresh  air  in  heaven,  for  on  our  arrival 
at  the  top  of  the  shaft  the  ecstasy  we 
experienced  at  again  inhaling  the 
fresh  air  was  beyond  description,  and 
we  gave  ourselves  up  to  the  full  enjoy- 
67 


A  Mid-Winter  Excursion 


ment  of  filling  our  lungs  with  all  they 
could  hold. 

A  steaming  cup  of  coffee,  a  word  of 
thanks  and  remuneration  to  our  land- 
lady, and  we  were  ready  for  our  return 
trip.  The  professor  lingered  for  just  a 
quiet  word  with  our  fickle  hostess, — a 
whisper — after  which  he  took  off  his 
spectacles  on  purpose  to  wink  at  her 
and  then  put  them  on  again. 

We  took  another  course  returning, 
passing  over  some  high  ridges  at  an 
altitude  of  over  thirteen  thousand  feet. 
Further  than  a  slight  quickening  of  the 
pulse,  no  unpleasant  sensations  were 
experienced  in  consequence  of  the  rare- 
fied air.  Those  who  admire  the  grand 
in  nature  can  see  it  in  perfection  here. 
We  follow  our  guide  as  he  slowly  and 
cautiously  picks  his  way  on  the  lofty 
and  precipitous  cliff,  along  whose 
side  a  narrow  shelf  has  been  cut,  from 
which  the  descent  is  perpendicular  for 
one  thousand  feet  or  more. 
68 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


We  crawl  through  gorges  with  walls 
of  supreme  height  on  either  side,  and 
emerging  are  presented  with  a  diversity 
of  fine  views.  The  pen  is  powerless  to 
describe  adequately  the  splendor  of  the 
scenery  that  breaks  upon  our  view  at 
every  turn.  We  undertook  to  reach  the 
summit  of  one  of  the  high  peaks;  a 
narrow  trail  led  by  steep  grades,  follow- 
ing a  part  of  the  way  the  banks  of  a 
mountain  stream  and  affording  ex- 
tended views  through  the  clefts  in  the 
mountain. 

Dismounting  within  about  a  hundred 
feet  of  the  top,  we  found  it  a  hazard- 
ous pastime  for  the  bridge  of  the  nose 
to  clamber  up,  but  we  succeeded,  until 
we  stood  seemingly  to  touch  the 
hurrying  clouds.  On  one  side  stretched 
a  plain  like  the  illimitable  sea,  without 
a  bound,  rolling  silent  and  white ;  in 
the  other  direction,  irregular  peaks  in 
wild  confusion  bewildered  the  eye. 
Nothing  in  this  world  could  surpass  the 
69 


A  Mid-Winter  Excursion 


grandeur  of  this  scene.  We  all  stood 
in  silence,  each  one  surrendering  him- 
self to  his  thoughts,  and  a  glow  of 
enthusiasm  was  lighted  within  us. 

It  has  been  questioned  if  a  fulfilled 
desire  is  ever  as  perfect  as  we  anticipate 
it !  To  us  it  seemed  as  if  these  scenes 
must  be  the  summit  of  earthly  magnifi- 
cence, and  we  felt  as  though — 

' '  'T  were  worth  ten  years  of  peaceful  life, 
One  glance  at  that  array." 

Remounting,  we  continued  our 
course,  gradually  descending,  and  soon 
the  first  exciting  incident  occurred. 

Our  guide,  a  man  of  few  words,  rode 
about  twenty  feet  in  advance  of  us.  He 
suddenly  reined  up,  looking  intently  on 
the  ground.  On  reaching  him  we  learned 
the  cause — the  snow  was  falling,  and 
the  fresh  footprints  of  a  bear  were 
clearly  visible.  In  an  instant  every  one 
had  his  rifle  in  hand  ready, — for  what  ? 
Before  we  had  time  to  exchange  a  word 
70 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


the  black  form  of  a  huge  beast  was  visible 
on  the  white  snow  on  a  rock  below  us 
not  over  100  feet  distant. 

Our  dog  "  Wanda,"  a  big  fellow,  a 
cross  between  a  mastiff  and  a  bull-dog, 
darted  down  the  rocks  after  the  beast, 
seizing  him  by  the  hind  foot.  The  bear 
quickly  wheeled  about  and  with  a  slap 
of  his  paw  drove  him  off.  The  dog,  not 
a  novice  at  hunting  this  kind  of  game, 
quickly  let  go  his  hold,  only  retreating 
however,  far  enough  to  keep  out  of 
reach  of  the  bear,  but  ready  to  spring 
at  him  again. 

Quickly  dismounting,  we  threw  the 
reins  over  the  heads  of  our  ponies, 
letting  them  drag  on  the  ground,  a  cus- 
tom of  the  cowboys  when  leaving  their 
ponies,  trained  as  they  are  to  remain 
thus  where  left,  unless  something  of  an 
unusual  nature  disturbs  them,  when 
they,  of  course,  may  wander  off. 

The  bear,  with  a  growling  dog  behind 
him,  and  we  in  front  of  him,  snarled 
71 


A  Mid-Winter  Excursion 


and  snapped  viciously  at  the  air,  evi- 
dently maddened  aft  the  intrusion, 
tossed  his  head  from  side  to  side,  un- 
certain which  way  to  go,  apparently, 
however,  not  anxious  to  leave,  as  we 
looked  at  him  over  the  barrels  of  our 
Winchesters, — when  flash  !  a  ball  from 
one  of  our  rifles  crashed  into  his  breast. 
Seemingly  as  with  one  bound  he  was 
on  us ;  our  ponies  plunged  wildly,  the 
hanging  reins  entangling  their  feet ;  two 
of  them  fell  over  in  a  heap,  while  each 
of  us  seized  our  knives,  ready  for  close 
work  if  necessary. 

Wanda,  appearing  to  realize  our 
danger,  again  sent  his  teeth  deep  into 
the  bear's  hind  leg,  and  as  he  turned  to 
shake  him  off  another  ball  was  sent  into 
his  fat  side,  but  it  seemed  to  have  no 
effect  except  as  a  stimulant  for  renewed 
activity. 

We  all  kept  close  together  lest  in  the 
fight,  now  getting  rather  hot,  we  might 
shoot  each  other ;  the  bear,  at  times, 
72 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


being  at  very  close  quarters,  should 
we  surround  him  we  could  not  shoot 
except  at  great  risk  to  ourselves. 

The  snow  was  now  sprinkled  with 
blood  flowing  from  the  wounded  beast, 
when  with  a  desperate  rush  and  a 
bound  like  that  of  a  wild  cat  he  leaped 
forward,  Wanda  hanging  to  his  leg,  and 
before  we  could  fire  again  his  great  ugly 
paw,  with  distended  claws,  struck  the 
professor,  reeling  him  over  as  though 
he  were  an  infant. 

A  moment's  delay  on  our  part  and  he 
would  have  crushed  out  his  life.  Too 
close  to  fire,  we  plunged  our  knives  into 
the  hind  quarters  of  the  bear  to  draw 
him  off,  when  the  professor,  with  a  torn 
jacket,  but  uninjured,  sprang  to  his  feet, 
full  of  pluck  and  courage,  to  fight  for 
his  life. 

The  bear  had  turned  on  us,  and  with 

our  faithful  dog  still  getting  in  his  work, 

which   seemed  to  bewilder  the  beast, 

he  paused  as  if  not  knowing  what  next 

73 


A  Mid-Winter  Excursion 


to  do.  Our  knives  had  sunk  deep  into 
him,  and  loss  of  blood  was  evidently 
making  him  dizzy ;  that  moment's 
pause  gave  us  our  chance. 

The  professor  drew  his  revolver, 
and  before  the  bear  again  had  a 
chance  to  turn  about,  he  put  a  ball  be- 
tween the  two  eyes  of  the  wounded 
animal,  and  the  huge  monster  dropped 
on  his  knees ;  almost  simultaneously, 
each  of  us  sent  a  ball  crashing  into  his 
head  from  our  revolvers,  and  he  sank 
to  the  earth  to  rise  no  more. 

"  When  he  hits  't  is  history, 
When  he  misses  't  is  mystery." 

We  soon  "  pulled  ourselves  together/* 
remounted  our  ponies,  after  loading  up 
to  be  ready  for  any  other  emergency, 
leaving  our  bear  to  enjoy  his  long 
sleep. 

At  noon  we  arrived  at  a  small  cabin 
occupied  by  some  prospectors,  rough, 
uncouth  fellows.  Halting  for  rest  and 
74 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


lunch  we  entered.  One  man  was  mak- 
ing coffee,  in  which  he  was  boiling  some 
eggs>  " to  save  time/'  as  he  said.  The 
most  talkative  of  the  party  wrestled 
hard  with  English.  He  said  :  "  I  ain't 
much  on  English,  but  I  can  talk  Spanish 
powerful."  He  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  did  not  seem  unfamiliar  with  the 
perils  of  the  bottle,  for  drink  was  visible 
on  every  face.  He  said  "  he  could  drink 
whiskey  in  ten  different  languages." 

One  of  the  men  had  an  ugly  wound 
on  his  nose,  which  was  much  swollen. 
He  was  busily  occupied  in  one  corner 
bathing  it.  In  reply  to  our  inquiry,  he 
said  "  he  had  bumped  against  the  busi- 
ness end  of  a  six-shooter  the  previous 
week;  hoped  soon  to  be  all  right 
again."  With  his  injured  nose  we 
thought  it  must  have  shut  out  the 
landscape  a  great  deal. 

Chinamen  are  generally  not  numer- 
ous around  or  near  mining  camps,  being 
in  ill  favor  with  the  miners.  Here  was 
75 


A  Mid-Winter  Excursion 


the  only  one  we  saw,  a  seemingly  bright 
fellow,  who  said  he  was  naturalized, 
and  with  a  smile  said :  "  Me  pliceman 
on  my  mother's  side  and  washwoman 
on  my  father's  side."  He  was  chattering 
to  himself  in  his  " tea-box"  language, 
when  one  of  the  miners,  with  an  oath, 
informed  him  "  that  if  he  did  n't  make 
less  noise,  he  'd  start  a  lead  mine  in 
him."  It  had  its  effect. 

Off  again,  we  enjoyed  the  ever- 
changing  scenery.  The  sun  was  about 
sinking  in  the  west  as  we  neared  our 
journey's  end.  We  drew  up  on  a  pro- 
jecting cliff  and  paused.  The  storm  had 
cleared  and  the  skies  were  bright.  As 
the  light  of  declining  day  seemed  to 
mingle  earth  and  heaven,  blending  the 
harsh  mountain  tops  with  the  sky,  it 
seemed  as  though  here  was  everything 
to  awaken  the  soul  and  inspire  the 
mind  :  the  music  of  the  dashing  waters, 
the  mountains,  the  skies,  the  out- 
stretched world  below. 
76 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


Our  jolly  host  came  out  to  greet  us, 
and  a  blazing  fire  awaited  us.  Without 
ceremony  we  were  soon  seated  at  a 
well-laden  table  generously  supplied 
with  the  choicest  of  game.  Our  gracious 
host  soon  appeard  with  two  bottles  of 
"  extra  dry  " — just  off  the  snow — would 
we  accept  them  with  his  compliments? 
Our  chaplain  arose  and  with  a  beaming 
smile,  addressed  him,  saying,  that  as  we 
were  all  extra  dry  too,  he  would  accept 
them  on  behalf  of  the  company  !  Our 
professor,  who,  with  the  aid  of  his  spec- 
tacles, had  espied  the  pretty  daughter 
of  the  host,  remarked  that  he  had  some 
good  qualities  in  his  cellar  and  some 
charming  ones  in  his  daughter ! 

A  good  dinner  and  a  quiet  evening 
over  some  choice  cigars  which  our 
chaplain  discovered  in  one  of  his  deep 
pockets,  during  which  we  talked  over 
our  pleasant  winter's  picnic  in  the 
Rockies,  and  watched  the  dying  embers 
in  the  big  wood  fire  until  their  bright- 
77 


In  the  Rocky  Mountains 


ness  had  all  but  faded,  brought  to  a 
conclusion  one  of  the  most  enjoyable 
trips  of  our  lives. 

We  had  studied  both  nature  and 
human  nature ;  we  had  seen  varied 
characters  strongly  marked  and  broadly 
colored  ;  we  had  viewed  the  noblest  and 
wildest  of  scenery  in  the  dreary  solitude 
of  mid-winter,  and  in  the  midst  of  raging 
storm.  Truly,  indeed,  pleasure  delights 
in  contrasts ;  it  is  from  excitement  we 
learn  to  enjoy  solitude,  and  from  soli- 
tude excitement. 

It  was  one  of  those  enjoyable  epi- 
sodes in  life  which  linger  in  the  memory 
like  a  charming  landscape. 


Southern  California  anfc  ite 
attractions. 


Southern  California^  its  Many  Attractions — 
A  Night  in  Chinatown — A  Ride  through 
the  Santa  Clara  Valley — Fine  Ranches — 
A  Visit  to  the  Home  of  "  Ramona  " — 
Beautiful  Sunsets — A  Mining  Camp  in 
Old  Mexico. 

TRAVELLING  southward  from  San 
Francisco  we  pay  flying  visits  to 
San  Jose  and  Santa  Cruz,  the  former  a 
beautiful  city  surrounded  by  orange 
groves  and  attractive  gardens ;  the  lat- 
ter, a  city  of  about  ten  thousand  peo- 
ple, including  the  suburbs,  beautifully 
situated  on  the  bay  of  Monterey. 

It  has  a  fine  climate  throughout  the 
year  and  one  of  the  best  beaches  for 
surf  bathing  in  this  country ;  many 
pretty  "flower-embosomed*'  homes, 
with  rose-crowned  gardens,  are  scattered 
79 


Southern  California 


through  the  city,  making  it  a  favorite 
resort. 

Across  the  bay  is  the  well-adver- 
tised and  justly  celebrated  resort, 
Hotel  del  Monte,  at  Monterey,  sur- 
passing, in  beauty  anything  of  its  kind 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  situated  in  a  grove 
of  live  oaks  and  pines  of  great  size, 
while  on  all  sides  the  grounds  are  alive 
with  blooming  roses,  pansies,  callas, 
and  heliotropes,  as  well  as  countless 
other  varieties  of  flowers,  interspersed 
with  rare  and  beautiful  tropical  plants 
growing  in  rampant  luxuriousness. 

Continuing  our  journey  some  four 
hundred  miles  in  a  southerly  direction, 
we  reach  Los  Angeles,  "  Puebla  de  la 
Reina  de  los  Angeles  "  (Town  of  the 
Queen  of  the  Angels).  It  has  a  climate 
almost  perfect,  there  being  but  a  differ- 
ence of  about  fifteen  degrees  in  the 
mean  temperature  during  the  year. 

The  society  is  most  attractive,  many 
of  our  brilliant  men  and  women  having 
80 


Southern  California 


gathered  here  seeking  an  equable 
climate,  and  one  can  here  surround 
themselves  with  genial  companions 
drawn  from  the  ranks  of  the  clergy,  the 
legal  profession,  artists,  men  of  leisure, 
etc.,  while  a  warm  greeting  generally 
awaits  the  stranger. 

The  immediate  surrounding  neigh- 
borhood is  simply  enchanting  ;  as  we 
extend  our  walk  to  the  upper  end  of 
the  city,  we  find  some  of  the  most 
charming  residences,  being,  in  many 
cases,  the  homes  of  wealthy  merchants. 

Here  and  there,  dotted  along  the  fine 
wide  road,  are  pretty  villas  embowered 
inperfume-laden  and  ever  green  orchards 
of  semi-tropical  fruits  and  plants.  A 
hammock  gracefully  swings  in  the  soft 
breeze,  whilst  its  occupant  lays  aside  her 
book  to  reach  for  an  orange  which 
hangs  from  the  tree  sustaining  her  airy 
couch.  Farther  on  we  find  some  hand- 
some and  costly  villas,  encompassed  on 
all  sides  by  fruitful  vineyards,  and  we 
81 


Southern  California 


pause  for  a  moment  as  our  eyes  rest  on 
luscious  bunches  of  grapes,  and  trees 
heavily  laden  with  lemons,  oranges,  or 
olives,  while  under  the  large  long  leaves 
near  by,  we  see  peeping  out  a  huge 
bunch  of  bananas. 

Strolling  off  to  the  side  streets,  we 
still  find  ourselves  amidst  pretty  cot- 
tages of  modern  architecture,  mostly 
surrounded  by  luxuriant  fruit  trees, 
many  of  the  orange  trees  being  strongly 
propped  up,  to  help  sustain  the  great 
weight  of  their  abundant  fruit. 

The  Sierra  Madre  mountains  are  seen 
in  looking  eastward  from  Los  Angeles, 
and  serve  as  a  beautiful  background  as 
one  approaches  the  city.  The  wild 
scenery  in  these  mountains  is  cele- 
brated. Saddling  our  ponies,  we  pene- 
trated into  some  of  the  wildernesses ; 
the  scenery  being  of  the  grandest.  We 
gave  our  ponies  their  heads  as  they 
picked  their  way  along  the  narrow 
cliffs,  stepping  carefully  here  and  there, 
82 


Southern  California 


sometimes  almost  jumping  from  rock 
to  rock.  As  we  looked  down  into  the 
yawning  chasm,  we  sat  in  silence,  feel- 
ing our  own  insignificance  amidst  these 
grand  works  of  nature. 

As  we  were  about  to  return,  assem- 
bled on  a  high  cliff,  the  sun  was  just 
setting,  and  as  our  eyes  wandered  off 
into  distance,  the  fleecy  clouds  were 
lighted  up  with  the  grandest  of  crimson 
and  golden  colors.  No  wonder  the 
Persians  worship  the  sun ;  so  we 
thought,  as  its  last  rays  shed  a  delicate 
light  on  the  golden  valley  of  orchards 
and  vineyards  at  our  feet. 

The  Chinese,  in  Los  Angeles,  are 
quite  numerous  and  almost  monopolize 
a  certain  portion  of  the  city ;  they  are 
quiet  and  orderly  as  a  class,  attentively 
minding  their  own  business,  but,  never- 
theless, always  a  target  for  the  ever 
present  hoodlum. 

Through  the  kindness  of  one  of  the 
city  officials — a  courteous  lawyer  and 
83 


Southern  California 


gentleman — we  were  escorted  on  a 
most  interesting  tour  through  "  China- 
town," as  it  is  called.  Starting  out  at 
eight  o'clock  one  pleasant  evening,  we 
called  first  at  some  of  their  stores; 
business  being  about  over  for  the  day, 
we  found  them  in  clusters,  old  and 
young,  eagerly  gathered  about  the 
counter,  at  their  greatest  of  amuse- 
ments—gambling. Not  a  word  was 
uttered  by  any,  so  absorbed  were  they 
in  their  game,  and,  after  casting  a  hasty 
and  wondering  glance  at  us,  they 
ignored  us  entirely. 

Passing  on,  and  visiting  many  stores, 
we  came  to  a  restaurant,  about  10  P.M. 
First  entering  a  small  office  we  passed  in 
at  a  door  to  find  ourselves  in  the  dining- 
room  ;  here  seated  at  tables  are  several 
Celestials,  quietly  but  hard  at  work  on  a 
dish  of  thick  kind  of  soup,  which  they 
caused  to  disappear  rapidly  by  throw- 
ing into  their  mouths  with  chopsticks. 

A  fat  cook  busy  at  the  stove  is 
84 


Southern  California 


seen  in  the  rear  humming  a  dismal 
air.  The  man  who  does  the  waiting, 
being  considered  quite  a  musician,  is 
called  upon  for  music  and  favors  us 
with  a  series  of  howls  and  groans  which 
he  calls  a  song ;  and  then  on  his  one- 
stringed  instrument  he  makes  us  feel 
generally  uncomfortable.  As  the  music 
progresses  and  the  musician  seems  to 
warm  up  to  his  work  he  howls  like  a 
dog  and  rolls  his  eyes  wildly. 

A  movement  is  heard  above,  and,  on 
looking  around  for  the  cause,  we  find 
dozens  of  pairs  of  sharp  eyes  looking 
down  at  us  from  above;  thus,  while 
supposing  ourselves  in  the  company  of 
two  or  three  Chinamen,  we  realize  that 
a  score  or  more  of  them  are  about  us, 
and  we  find  that  the  apartment  is,  as  it 
were,  cut  in  two,  thus  giving  two  floors 
to  an  ordinary-sized  room,  a  ladder 
being  used  to  ascend  to  the  sleeping 
apartment  above.  Thus  one  fair-sized 
room  can  be  used  for  a  restaurant 
85 


Southern  California 


below,  and  lodge  twenty  persons  or 
more  on  the  shelves  above  ;  but  they 
seem  happy  and  contented. 

As  they  are  packed  together  in  such 
a  state,  we  wonder  how  they  can 
emerge  looking  so  cleanly  each  day; 
but  they  are  particular  about  their  ap- 
pearance generally,  and  carefully  bathe 
every  morning. 

The  night  is  wearing  on,  and  mid- 
night brings  us  to  a  dark,  dreary  spot, 
where,  hand  in  hand,  we  are  wonder- 
ingly  led  through  passage  after  pass- 
age, first  up,  then  down,  until  our 
leader  knocks  at  a  door,  being  answered 
by  a  Chinaman,  who,  after  a  glance, 
recognizes  one  in  authority,  and  quietly 
ushers  us  in.  We  find  ourselves  in  a 
dimly  lighted  temple,  a  weird,  strange 
looking  place  with  an  altar.  We  are 
conducted  to  an  apartment  in  the  rear, 
behind  the  altar,  and  there  we  find  a 
singular  scene. 

Reclining  on  couches,  smoking 
86 


Southern  California 


opium,  are  the  priests,  who  at  first 
look  amazed  at  the  intrusion,  but 
soon  relapse  into  their  stolid,  fixed 
expression.  One  of  the  priests,  by 
request,  kept  telling  us  his  feelings  as 
the  smoking  gradually  affected  him, 
and  if  he  told  the  truth,  as  he  probably 
did,  he  soon  became  too  happy  to  talk, 
and  the  expression  on  his  face  certainly 
denoted  intense  and  almost  supreme 
happiness. 

We  accepted  an  invitation  to  take 
some  tea,  which  was  very  hot  and 
without  sugar.  The  custom  of  offering 
hot  tea  to  all  visitors  is  a  universal  one 
among  the  Chinese,  the  omission  of 
the  courtesy  being  considered  ex- 
tremely ill-mannered. 

Near  the  city  are  some  of  the  finest 
ranches  in  the  State ;  one  notably 
large  ranch,  producing  oranges,  lemons, 
olives,  figs,  limes,  almonds,  walnuts, 
pineapples,  bananas,  and  a  great  va- 
riety of  tropical  and  semi-tropical  fruits. 
87 


Southern  California 


A  short  ride  out  of  the  city  brings 
one  to  the  San  Gabriel  Mission, 
founded  in  1771.  The  walls  are  dilapi- 
dated, as  are  all  these  old  Spanish 
missions,  but  the  ancient  bells  still 
hang  in  their  belfry,  and  a  piece  of  the 
worn-out  rope  hangs  from  the  bell,  the 
monks  who  handled  it  having  long 
since  been  laid  away  in  the  dust. 

The  valley  called  the  San  Gabriel  is 
considered,  by  many  who  have  visited  it, 
the  most  perfect  spot  on  the  face  of  the 
globe.  Shielded  from  the  north  wind 
by  mountains,  everything  unites  to  make 
it  all  that  the  heart  could  wish  for. 

There  are  innumerable  charming 
rides  and  drives  in  and  about  Los 
Angeles.  Pasadena,  a  perfect  garden 
of  a  settlement,  is  near  at  hand,  and 
some  lovely  rides  extending  a  few 
miles  into  the  mountains  near-by  bring 
us  to  some  most  attractive  ranches. 

We  greatly  enjoyed  a  ride  to  Santa 
Barbara,  about  150  miles  to  the  north- 


Southern  California 


west,  passing  through  the  Santa  Clara 
Valley.  The  road  is  sandy,  and  at 
times  very  dusty  ;  but  the  noble  moun- 
tains on  either  side  make  it  most 
enchanting.  The  last  part  of  the  ride 
for  some  miles  is  on  the  beautiful  hard, 
white  beach,  and  the  breakers  roll  up  at 
times  to  the  horses'  feet.  For  quite  a 
distance  the  mountains  rise  abruptly 
from  within  twenty  feet  of  the  shore, 
hence  the  roadway  at  high  tide  is  but  a 
few  feet  wide.  We  find  good  use  for 
our  guns,  as  ducks,  geese,  and  snipe  are 
plentiful,  and  we  land  in  Santa  Barbara 
with  a  bag  full. 

Many  invalids  in  search  of  a  salu- 
brious climate  find  their  way  to  this 
place  and  derive  benefit  from  its  genial 
atmosphere.  The  heavy  night  fogs 
keep  the  soil  damp,  making  the  city  a 
veritable  flower  garden. 

On  our  return  trip  we  stopped  at 
some  of  the  large  ranches,  notably  that 
one  rendered  famous  by  "  H.  H.,"  the 
89 


Southern  California 


home  of  "  Ramona"  where  we  remained 
and  were  delightfully  entertained  for 
several  days. 

Our  next  point  was  Coronado  Beach 
about  125  miles  south  of  Los  Angeles, 
one  of  the  most  attractive  places  on 
the  California  coast.  As  yet  it  may 
not  quite  compare  with  Monterey  as  to 
the  extent  of  its  cultivated  and  beauti- 
ful grounds,  but  nature  has  favored  it 
in  point  of  situation,  and  time  will 
make  it  the  most  delightful  resort  in 
this  country. 

The  Hotel  del  Coronado  in  spacious 
elegance  surpasses  any  hotel  in  this 
country.  The  blue  waves  of  the  ocean 
roll  up  to  its  very  doors,  a  magnificent 
beach  stretches  away  in  the  distance, 
and  bathing,  fishing,  sailing,  and  shoot- 
ing offer  inducements  to  the  robust, 
while  invalids  can  rest  on  its  sunny  glass 
enclosed  corridors.  It  is  one  of  those 
rare  spots  on  earth  where  nature  seems 
to  have  lavished  all  her  charms. 
9o 


Southern  California 


The  days  pass  swiftly  to  a  sojourner 
in  Southern  California.  The  easy,  loaf- 
ing life  is  delicious,  and  so  varied  and  far 
from  monotonous  that  as  the  time  comes 
for  us  to  leave  we  wonder  if  we  shall 
ever  find  anything  so  perfect  again ! 

When  we  took  our  seats  in  the  cars, 
late  one  afternoon,  we  gave  long,  linger- 
ing looks  behind,  regretting  to  leave 
the  most  attractive  place  we  had  seen 
in  the  West,  and  some  of  the  most 
charming  people.  As  we  moved  off,  the 
picture  was  a  gorgeous  one.  As  the  sun 
sank  from  skies  as  mild  and  soft  as 
Italy  can  boast,. we  gazed  out  of  the 
window  of  the  car  to  take  in  the  pano- 
rama of  loveliness  till  day  had  deep- 
ened into  night. 

Our  trip  eastward  took  us  through 
Southern  Arizona,  interesting  without 
being  attractive.  From  a  small  way 
station  we  branched  off  to  visit  a  new 
mining  camp  in  the  northern  part  of 
Old  Mexico,  a  wild,  untamed  part  of 
91 


Southern  California 


the  country.  The  scenes  at  night  in 
this  camping  village  were  interesting. 

The  light  of  the  fires  was  reflected 
on  the  white  tents,  flickering  on  the 
faces  of  the  groups  sitting  about  them 
in  careless  attitudes,  and  on  the  mov- 
ing forms  of  the  tall,  gaunt  Mexicans 
as  they  passed  from  tent  to  tent.  In- 
side some  of  the  larger  tents  parties  of 
hilarious  miners  and  pretty  black-eyed 
girls  sat  around.  On  entering  one  we 
found  the  whiskey  bottle  playing  an 
important  part,  and  another  white 
liquor,  of  Mexican  manufacture,  which 
we  were  informed  was  deadly  in  its 
effects.  They  were  gambling,  and 
money  seemed  abundant. 

While  very  picturesque  in  the  dis- 
tance and  from  without,  we  found  the 
young  girls  of  the  most  degraded  kind, 
drinking  and  gambling  the  same  as  the 
men,  and  were  glad  to  leave  tent  life  in 
Mexico  and  resume  our  journey. 

We  stopped  at  Las  Vegas,  in  New 

92 


Southern  California 


Mexico — 6400  feet  elevation, — a  lovely 
spot  with  a  fine  hotel,  famous  for  its 
hot  springs.  Remaining  a  few  days, 
we  rode  up  "  Old  Baldy,"  some  11,000 
feet  high,  the  view  from  the  summit 
being  superbly  fine.  At  Santa  F£,  the 
most  ancient  of  cities  in  this  country, 
we  found  much  to  interest  us. 

One  must  travel  through  the  Great 
West  to  conceive  of  its  vastness,  and 
one  must  go  to  Southern  California  to 
see  the  beauties  of  America.  A  wealthy 
resident  of  Los  Angeles  informed  us 
that  he  had  travelled  over  almost  the 
whole  world ;  had  tried  innumerable 
climates,  "  but  here"  said  he,  "  I  find 
the  brightest  and  loveliest  spot  on 
earth,  wildness  and  beauty,  surrounded 
by  mountains  and  hills;  here  I  have 
decided  to  make  my  home,  and  here  I 
shall  remain  until  I  die ;  and,  when 
Death  shall  come,  I  wish  to  take  my 
long  sleep  in  this  sunny  valley,  until 
I  awake  in  the  *  City  of  the  Angels'  " 
93 


En  IRoute  to  tbc  City  of  flDeyico* 


A  Rapid  View  of  El  Paso  and  Northern 
Mexico — The  City  of  Chihuahua — Pic- 
turesque Scenes — Its  Ancient  Cathedral. 

TWO  HUNDRED  bright-colored 
lanterns  swung  gayly  in  the 
breeze,  their  cheery  light  flashing  out 
into  the  gloom,  like  so  many  flying 
meteors.  The  regimental  band  was 
blowing  itself  into  wrinkles,  keeping  the 
merry  dancers  hard  at  work. 

A  few  hundred  feet  away  lazily 
flowed  the  Rio  Grande,  of  small  con- 
sequence at  this  point,  save  that  it 
divides  the  sister  republics,  both  of 
which  contributed  their  quota  to  the 
farewell  ball  tendered  by  the  officers  of 
the  cavalry  regiment  stationed  on  the 
border  at  El  Paso,  Texas.  The  Mex- 
ican beauties  from  across  the  river, 
94 


En  Route  to  the  City  of  Mexico 


with  their  rich  olive  complexions, 
showed  in  pleasing  contrast  to  the 
unusual  number  of  blonde  American 
ladies  present,  and  with  the  glittering 
uniforms  of  the  military  the  scene  was 
a  charmingly  brilliant  one. 

The  gayety  of  the  evening  was 
tempered,  however,  by  a  feeling  of 
sadness,  for  early  on  the  morrow  the 
regiment  was  to  break  camp,  being 
under  marching  orders  to  leave  for  Ariz- 
ona, to  pit  their  lives  against  the  roving 
Indians,  to  fight  them  in  their  fast- 
nesses, while  our  party  were  to  leave 
for  a  pleasure  trip  through  old  Mexico. 

The  morning  broke  dark  and  threat- 
ening, but  found  us  brimming  over 
with  enthusiasm  for  our  journey, 
snuggled  in  our  cosy  seats  in  the  car, 
facing  due  south,  behind  a  panting 
engine.  "  All  aboard  !  "  —  and  we 
smoothly  glide  forth  on  our  way. 

Our  eyes  wander  off  into  the  dis- 
tance, and  'midst  great  clouds  of  dust 
95 


En  Route  to  the  City  of  Mexico 


we  discern  the  cavalry,  thirteen  hundred 
strong,  on  their  way  over  the  barren, 
trackless  prairie  to  hunt  their  hidden 
foe.  A  feeling  of  melancholy  creeps  over 
us  as  we  watch  them  disappearing  in 
the  distance,  until  they  appear  as  a 
mere  speck  on  the  edge  of  the  horizon. 
The  gentle  rain  commenced  to  fall, 
as  though  nature  itself  wept  in  sym- 
pathy. 

El  Paso  del  Norte  (meaning  the 
northern  pass),  just  over  the  river  on 
the  Mexican  side,  is  a  sleepy  old  Mex- 
ican town,  the  main  points  of  interest 
being  a  musty  and  very  ancient  cathe- 
dral, doubtless  grand  in  its  day,  a  well- 
patronized  cock-pit,  and  skating-rink. 
It  is  the  gateway  to  Mexico,  possesses 
a  salubrious  climate,  and  some  pretty 
gardens,  which  are  visible  here  and 
there.  The  first  glimpse  of  Mexican 
life  is  here  seen,  but  not  of  sufficient 
interest  to  detain  the  traveller,  who  an- 
ticipates penetrating  farther  into  the 
96 


En  Route  to  the  City  of  Mexico 


country.  An  indifferent  examination 
of  baggage  here  occurs  by  the  custom 
officials,  and  we  are  off  again. 

A  ride  of  255  miles  over  a  country 
possessing  nothing  of  special  interest 
brings  us  to  the  city  of  Chihuahua 
(pronounced  She-wah-wah),  capital  of 
the  state  of  the  same  name,  a  city  of 
17,000  inhabitants.  The  houses  are 
mostly  built  of  adobe,  generally  in  one 
story,  and  the  long,  straight  streets, 
flanked  on  either  side  by  these  low, 
whitish-colored  houses,  soon  become 
monotonous  to  the  eye. 

The  Grand  Plaza,  in  the  centre  of 
which  a  handsome  fountain  is  situated, 
is  the  lounging  place  of  the  citizens  of 
all  grades,  and  their  characteristic 
indolence  is  strongly  impressed  upon 
the  stranger  as  he  sees  them  sunning 
themselves  by  day  and  contemplating 
or  gossiping  at  night  with  the  ever-pres- 
ent cigarette,  as  they  stroll  hither  and 
thither.  The  crowds  as  they  saunter 

97 


En  Route  to  the  City  of  Mexico 

about  in  their  native  costumes  present 
a  scene  pleasingly  picturesque,  the  som- 
brero, the  serape,  and  the  reboso  in 
varied  colors  rendering  it  a  pretty 
sight.  Here  we  see  an  aquadore  with 
a  large  jug  of  water  on  his  back,  sus- 
pended by  a  leather  band  about  his 
forehead ;  in  front  of  him  hangs  his 
smaller  jug,  sustained  by  a  band  pass- 
ing around  the  back  of  his  head. 

Again,  those  of  the  wealthy  class 
with  their  elegantly  silver-trimmed  som- 
breros, heavily  braided  short  jackets, 
tight-fitting  trousers,  studded  down  the 
sides  with  buttons  of  silver.  Mingling 
with  the  crowd  are  also  the  poorer 
classes,  with  their  gaudy  serapes  loosely 
thrown  over  their  shoulders,  and  wear- 
ing huaraches  (leather  sandals,  fastened 
with  straps  over  the  instep  and  across 
the  ball  of  the  foot),  a  close  inspection 
often  revealing  the  fact  that  the  blanket 
is  the  sole  covering  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  body. 

98 


En  Route  to  the  City  of  Mexico 


The  pretty  senora,  poorly  clad,  with- 
out even  a  sandal,  is  lounging  at  the 
fountain,  her  shabbiness  concealed  by 
the  usual  black  shawl  gracefully  thrown 
over  her  head  and  shoulders,  extend- 
ing well  down  the  body,  showing 
bronzed  feet  and  ankles,  well  modelled 
and  graceful,  though  neither  small  nor 
soft  in  appearance ;  the  ever  feminine 
characteristic  is  not  wanting  even  here, 
for,  conscious  of  her  beauty,  she  lifts 
her  water-jug  from  her  shoulder,  and 
resting  it  on  the  edge  of  the  fountain 
glances  about  with  her  brilliant  black 
eyes ;  her  soft  olive  complexion,  beauti- 
fully chiselled  features,  and  regular 
white  teeth  render  her  a  fascinating 
picture. 

The  Church  of  Parroquia,  called  the 
Cathedral,  is  an  imposing  edifice,  facing 
the  Plaza,  said  to  have  cost  $1,000,000 
— erected  by  levying  a  tax  of  one  real 
(\2\  cents)  on  every  mark  ($8)  of  silver 
obtained  from  the  mines  near  by. 

99 


En  Route  to  the  City  of  Mexico 


We  visit  it  toward  evening ;  it  is  twi- 
light as  we  enter.  We  seat  ourselves 
on  one  side  to  observe  the  service, 
which,  being  a  feast  day,  brings  to- 
gether a  large  number  of  worshippers 
— the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  high  and 
the  low,  jostle  each  other  for  a  place  on 
which  to  kneel,  but  all  is  quiet  when 
the  service  begins. 

The  choir,  without  organ,  renders  the 
most  enchanting  music ;  the  charm  of 
the  twilight  hour,  the  stillness  of  the 
multitude,  as  in  their  varied  costumes 
they  devoutly  kneel,  the  great  dome 
throwing  back  the  echoes  of  the  soft- 
est melodies,  above  which,  at  times,  we 
can  catch  the  twitter  of  birds  as  they 
fly  from  arch  to  arch,  into  which  is 
mingled  the  soft  sounds  of  the  cooing 
pigeons  in  the  towers,  producing  for 
the  moment  a  sweet  confusion — all 
these  combine  to  present  a  scene  that 
does  not  seem  of  earth  and  that  will 
never  fade  from  memory. 

100 


H  flDeyican 


AT  the  urgent  request  of  a  promi- 
nent citizen,  we  were  prevailed 
upon  to  remain  over  and  witness  a 
"  Peleas  de  gallos  "  (cock-fight),  with  the 
assurance  that  it  would  not  last  longer 
than  five  hours.  We  noticed  bills 
posted  about  the  streets,  with  illustra- 
tions suggestive  of  such  an  event,  and 
our  curiosity  being  aroused,  we  con- 
cluded to  avail  ourselves  of  the  oppor- 
tunity to  see  the  great  battle. 

At  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
seated  in  a  very  antiquated  vehicle, 
drawn  by  a  pair  of  mules,  we  found 
ourselves  being  slowly  dragged  through 
the  long,  narrow,  monotonous  streets, 
the  rate  of  speed  being  far  from  exhil- 
arating, as  they  scrambled  along  with 
the  aid  of  language  prepared  expressly 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


for  them — it  is  an  undisputed  fact  that 
a  mule  is  never  fresh  or  in  good  spirits 
when  there  is  any  work  to  be  done. 

Approaching  the  suburbs  we  enter 
a  beautiful,  well-shaded  avenue,  over 
which  the  stately  cottonwood  trees 
nod  their  shadowy  crests,  breaking  the 
rays  of  the  morning  sun  ;  a  glistening 
stream  of  purest  water,  creeping  its 
way  through  the  winding  road,  glides 
at  our  side. 

A  sudden  branch  off  from  this  pleas- 
ing grove  brings  us  to  an  unattractive 
collection  of  buildings,  many  of  them 
seemingly  deserted  dwellings. 

In  various  directions  we  see  approach- 
inggalleros  (cock-fighters),  each  carry- 
ing a  gamecock  with  a  string  and  a 
small  bit  of  wood  attached  to  his 
leg.  Alighting,  we  are  ushered  into  a 
small  adobe  building,  having  no  win- 
dows, the  open  door  admitting  the 
necessary  light.  Here  were  dispensed 
a  variety  of  decoctions,  pulque,  the 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


favorite  drink  of  the  Mexicans,  pre- 
dominating, made  from  the  century 
plant.  Here  were  gathered  those  in- 
terested in  the  approaching  event; 
earnest  discussions  regarding  the  rela- 
tive merits  of  the  birds  were  indulged 
in,  and  a  bedlam  indeed  it  was,  'midst 
clouds  of  cigarette-smoke  enough  to 
smother  any  one  but  a  Mexican. 

Passing  through  a  narrow  passage, 
we  each  pay  one  peseta  (twenty-five 
cents),  and  enter  the  place  where  the 
fighting  is  to  occur.  A  large  high  tent 
is  here  erected,  covering  some  200 
feet  square.  Around,  close  to  the 
sides,  are  perhaps  a  couple  of  hundred 
coops,  inside  of  which  can  be  seen  the 
game  creatures,  each  crowing  lustily,  as 
if  he  had  just  won  a  battle. 

The  galleros  are  flocking  in,  many  of 
them,  after  entering,  squatting  on  the 
ground,  holding  in  front  of  them  their 
birds,  hoping  some  Mexican  "sport" 
may  purchase.  Many  Mexicans  on 
103 


A  Mexican  Cock- Fight 


entering  carefully  inspect  the  various 
birds  and  after  selecting  their  favorites, 
strike  a  trade  with  the  owner,  after 
which  they  go  around  offering  to  back 
them  against  others.  Frequently  the 
cocks  will  push  their  way  out  between 
the  bars  of  the  coop,  and,  although  tied, 
make  frantic  efforts  to  reach  another 
bird,  displaying  great  ferocity  ;  often 
fights  occur  when  two  neighbors  thus 
secure  their  limited  freedom. 

In  the  centre  of  the  tent  is  something 
similar  to  a  large  tub  in  shape,  a  round 
enclosure  some  twenty-five  feet  in  di- 
ameter, sides  three  feet  high,  the  bot- 
tom, of  dirt,  being  smooth  as  a  floor. 
This  is  the  cock-pit ;  arranged  around 
this  are  rows  of  seats  snug  up  to  the 
pit,  ascending  as  in  a  circus. 

The  audience,  a  large  one,  is  a  study. 
The  dignified,  handsomely  dressed 
Spaniard,  with  small  piercing  eyes  like 
jet,  standing  in  the  pit,  is  the  manager 
and  is  said  to  make  a  handsome  income 
104 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


from  the  business ;  being  a  good  judge 
of  the  staying  and  fighting  qualities  of 
gamecocks,  his  bets  are  apt  to  show  up 
on  the  credit  side,  and  his  advice  is 
eagerly  sought  for,  but  he  is  a  man  of 
few  words. 

Seated  'midst  the  crowd  on  the  op- 
posite side  is  a  Mexican  dude,  wearing 
a  collar  that  raises  his  ears,  trousers 
that  fit  like  skin,  a  roundabout  jacket 
braided  in  yellow,  and  a  sombrero  with 
a  silver  band ;  near  him  a  forlorn  speci- 
men of  a  Mexican  tramp,  a  man  with  a 
dirty  complexion  and  handkerchief  to 
match  around  his  neck,  insubordinate 
hair,  standing  on  end;  he  thrusts  his 
hands  into  the  place  where  his  trousers' 
pockets  used  to  be,  as  though  he  were 
chilly. 

Two  picturesquely  dressed  Spanish 
girls  just  beyond,  with  blackest  of  hair, 
over  which  is  carelessly  thrown  a  black 
lace  scarf,  dressed  in  garments  of  bril- 
liant colors,  displaying  on  their  well- 
105 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


turned  wrists  broad  gold  (or  gilt  ?)  brace- 
lets, and  innumerable  rings  on  their 
delicate  fingers,  as  they  listlessly  elevate 
to  their  lips  sweet-scented  cigarettes, 
clasped  by  silver  holders ;  the  smoke 
curls  lazily  about  their  heads,  as  they 
languidly  converse,  seemingly  uncon- 
scious of  the  delicately  pointed  high- 
heeled  French  shoes  just  peeping  from 
beneath  their  rustling  silks!  Again, 
the  humble  daughter  of  thefleon,  almost 
in  rags,  is  an  earnest  spectator,  perhaps 
accompanied  by  her  father  and  mother. 
All  sorts  and  conditions  of  people  are 
here. 

While  the  spectators  are  gathering, 
the  birds  are  being  prepared  ;  here  is  a 
Mexican  looking  more  like  the  father 
of  a  family  than  one  interested  in  cock- 
fighting  ;  he  has  a  sharpening  stone, 
and  is  hard  at  work  sharpening  the  spur 
for  his  pet,  like  the  delicate  blade  of  a 
knife  sharpened  like  a  razor  on  the 
outer  edge,  curving  the  reverse  of  a 
106 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


sickle,  so  that  when  the  bird  jumps  up- 
ward and  strikes,  it  will  cut  rather  than 
penetrate  like  an  ordinary  spur ;  the 
cock  is  held,  and  he  carefully  binds  the 
spur  on  his  right  leg,  only  one  spur  be- 
ing used.  The  comb  and  wattle  of  the 
bird  has  been  cut  close  to  the  head,  to 
prevent  an  opponent  from  catching 
hold ;  the  tail  is  cut  short — the  whole 
bird,  in  fact,  being  trimmed  down  to  as 
fine  a  point  as  possible. 

He  carries  him  to  the  pit;  his  oppo- 
nent is  already  there  ;  both  are  handled 
as  carefully  as  though  they  were  tender 
children,  the  owners  fondly  stroking 
them,  examining  their  eyes,  legs,  etc. 
The  birds  are  then  weighed,  the  rule 
being  that  they  must  weigh  within  a 
few  ounces  of  each  other. 

Two  men  in  red  shirts,  professional 
cock-fighters,  then  each  take  a  bird ; 
going  to  opposite  sides  of  the  pit,  they 
fill  their  mouths  with  cold  water,  and 
spray  it  over  their  birds  ;  advancing  at 
107 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


the  signal  of  the  manager,  they  hold 
the  birds  beak  to  beak ;  they  snap  and 
bite  as  their  eyes  flash  like  fire — they 
are  famous  Spanish  gamecocks,  the 
greatest  fighters  in  the  world ;  with  this 
breed,  when  once  the  fight  begins, 
death  alone  on  one  side  will  end  the 
battle. 

At  another  signal  the  men  step  back 
and  drop  the  cocks  to  the  ground — one 
is  a  dark  red,  the  other  a  lighter  shade ; 
both  are  strong-looking  birds ;  they 
stand  and  look  around  a  moment,  walk 
by  each  other,  and  then  turn  with  a 
rush  and  clash  like  two  bulls. 

The  dark  red  springs  up,  bringing  his 
spur  over  the  other's  head,  too  high ; 
by  the  time  he  reaches  the  ground,  the 
other  springs  at  him,  sending  his  spur 
clean  into  his  eye ;  a  shout  ascends 
from  the  backers  of  the  light  red,  and 
a  dismal  silence  hangs  over  the  friends 
of  the  dark  red. 

As  the  fight  grows  more  exciting  the 

108 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


dude  emerges  from  his  altitudinous 
collar,  excitedly  waves  his  sombrero, 
offering  odds  on  the  light  red ;  in  a  mo- 
ment the  Spanish  young  lady  is  on  her 
feet,  shaking  her  bracelet  in  response  to 
his  wager.  A  few  words  in  Spanish, 
and  the  bet  is  made. 

On  goes  the  battle,  the  chickens  leap- 
ing and  lunging  at  each  other  with  their 
razor-like  spurs  ;  men  and  women  are 
wild  with  excitement,  yelling  strange 
words  of  joy  or  disappointment  as  the 
battle  progresses.  The  cock-fighters 
creep  around  the  ring,  each  following 
his  bird,  but  never  being  permitted  to 
touch  them ;  they  yell  to  their  pets  in 
wild  Spanish  oaths. 

In  five  minutes  the  two  birds  are  so 
covered  with  blood  about  their  heads 
that  it  is  evident  they  cannot  see,  but 
still  they  fight,  until  a  lunge  from  the 
light  red  lays  his  antagonist  on  the 
ground  ;  he  still  plunges  and  fights  as 
he  lies  on  his  side,  until  at  a  signal  the 
109 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


birds  are  seized  by  the  galleros  and 
taken  to  their  respective  corners. 

One  grasps  his  bird,  opens  its  mouth, 
and,  finding  it  full  of  blood,  he  puts  his 
own  mouth  to  that  of  the  bird,  and 
sucks  it  out,  also  breathes  into  its  nos- 
trils, again  he  sprays  the  bird  with  cold 
water  from  his  own  mouth — both  sides 
again  are  ready,  and  the  birds  fight 
more  vigorously  than  before. 

For  fifteen  minutes  they  cut  and 
slash,  the  light  red  with  his  two  eyes 
seeming  to  have  an  advantage  over  his 
antagonist  with  but  one.  He  makes  a 
desperate  dash,  sending  his  spur  seem- 
ingly through  the  brain  of  the  other. 
The  dude  cannot  contain  himself.  He 
rises,  mingling  his  voice  with  the  yells 
of  the  multitude,  then  seats  himself 
with  a  nine-inch  smile  settled  on  his 
countenance. 

The  dark  red  still  fights,  showing 
wonderful  endurance  and  pluck.  It  is 
evident  that  both  his  eyes  are  gone, 
no 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


but  his  legs  are  strong.  He  plunges 
about  at  times,  vainly  trying  to  reach 
his  foe.  Blood  is  flowing  from  the 
mouths  of  both  chickens,  but  the  light 
red,  with  the  advantage  of  his  eyesight, 
sends  his  bloody  steel,  cutting  away 
every  feather  from  about  the  head  of 
his  blind  opponent ;  both  look  very 
weak ;  a  moment's  pause,  and  the  light 
red,  with  desperate  energy,  sends  his 
spur  crashing  into  the  head  of  the 
other,  rolling  him  over  on  the  ground. 
The  dude,  all  smiles  and  shirt  collar, 
wildly  yells  his  joy ;  the  light  red, 
weak  and  shaky,  attempts  to  crow  ;  but 
before  he  had  finished  the  final  note, 
the  dark  red  jumped  to  his  feet  and 
leaped  into  the  air,  sending  his  spur 
clean  into  the  brain  of  the  light  red, 
dropping  him  at  his  feet — death,  the 
great  peacemaker,  had  parted  them  for- 
ever. Then,  although  a  victor,  he  sank 
to  the  ground,  and  in  two  minutes  was 
dead  also.  The  dude  took  a  reef  in 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


his  smile ;  the  young  lady  beamed  as 
a  gold  coin  landed  in  her  lap,  thrown 
by  the  bony  fingers  of  the  man  with  the 
collar.  The  excitement  was  intense, 
and  a  jabbering  of  voices  filled  the  air. 

We  waited  to  see  a  few  more  battles, 
but  were  glad  to  leave,  happy  to  think 
that  such  exhibitions  were  not  permit- 
ted in  the  States. 

Cock-fighting  was  fashionable  in 
Greece  some  500  years  before  Christ, 
and  in  England  for  a  long  period  it  was 
a  favorite  sport.  The  Briton  practised 
"  cocking  "  before  the  landing  of  Caesar. 
Henry  VIII.  established  the  Royal 
Cockpit  at  Westminster,  and  even  dur- 
ing the  present  century  some  "mains" 
have  been  fought  in  it.  A  writer  on 
poultry  mentions  a  cock-fight  in  India 
for  a  lac  of  rupees  (;£  10,000),  but  Eng- 
land in  olden  times  was  the  head- 
quarters of  cock-fighting. 

After  dinner  at  a  Mexican  restaurant 
composed  of  very  unpalatable  stuff, 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


"  very  little  to  eat  and  a  good  deal  of 
tablecloth/*  we  started  homeward  by  a 
circuitous  route  to  see  the  city.  It 
presents  but  little  variety — a  bull-ring 
in  the  distance  was  shown  as  one  of 
the  sights. 

Along  the  roads  burro  trains  were 
slowly  moving,  carrying  every  conceiv- 
able thing,  from  potatoes  to  a  stove ; 
men  and  women  sauntering  along  as 
though  they  had  eternity  to  do  it  in ; 
some  of  them  bearing  immense  pack- 
ages on  their  heads,  all  of  them  pos- 
sessing that  peculiar  gliding  hip  motion 
which  characterizes  the  gait  of  those 
accustomed  to  carry  heavy  weights  on 
their  heads. 

It  was  nearly  twilight  when  we 
reached  the  plaza.  The  usual  evening 
crowd  was  gathering  there  ;  the  gay 
cavaliers  on  their  handsome  horses 
pranced  about ;  the  poorer  citizens 
chatted  and  smoked ;  the  fountain 
splashed  in  the  softened  sunbeams; 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


strains  of  sweetest  music  were  in  the 
air,  and  all  the  world  seemed  happy. 

Early  morning  finds  us  on  our  way. 
Passing  southward,  the  country  trav- 
ersed is  generally  barren  and  sterile. 
Through  the  States  of  Chihuahua,  Du- 
rango,  and  Zacatecas  (in  the  first  two 
of  which  garnets  and  rubies  are  found), 
there  is  little  of  interest  save  here  and 
there  some  towns  which  owe  their 
existence  to  the  rich  mines ;  lack  of 
water  and  fuel  being  a  great  barrier  to 
the  growth  and  progress  of  the 
country. 

At  these  towns  the  extreme  poverty 
of  the  people  is  sadly  apparent,  many 
of  them  existing  in  "  dug-outs/*  and 
many  of  them  in  the  open  air,  without 
shelter,  the  naked  bodies  of  both  men 
and  women  of  all  ages  being  visible 
under  the  filthy  strips  of  rags  that  hang 
about  their  bodies,  some  of  the  profes- 
sional beggars  having  nothing  but  a 
loose  skirt  about  their  loins. 
114 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


The  main  place  of  interest  is  the 
city  of  Zacatecas,  one  of  the  oldest 
mining  towns  in  Mexico,  being  the 
richest  in  mineral  wealth.  It  has  an 
elevation  of  8000  feet.  A  view  from  a 
hill  near  by  presents  a  superb  landscape 
of  the  surrounding  country,  the  spurs 
of  the  Cordilleras  adding  much  to  the 
beauty  of  the  scene. 

We  pass  Agua  Calientes  (meaning 
hot  water)  noted  for  its  hot  springs, 
Silao,  Queretaro,  the  latter  founded  by 
the  Aztecs  about  the  middle  of  the 
fifteenth  century  (opals  are  found  here) ; 
its  imposing  and  shapely  bright-colored 
domes  and  towers  are  prominent ;  the 
palm,  banana,  and  other  tropical  trees 
add  to  its  attraction.  Leon,  a  large 
city  of  80,000  souls,  claims  attention, 
next  in  size  to  the  City  of  Mexico,  cele- 
brated for  its  manufacture  of  leather 
goods. 

Passing  on  we  enter  a  cultivated  val- 
ley, dotted  with  fields  of  corn  and 


A  Mexican  Cock-FIght 


wheat;  the  /«*»  with  his  primitive 
plough  toils  in  his  sleepy  way;  soon 
the  tropical  climate  commences  to  show 
its  effects  in  the  arid  soil,  that  stretches 
as  far  as  the  vision  reaches,  possessing  a 
climate  warm  in  winter  and  almost  un- 
bearable in  summer;  the  country  seems 
deserted  by  *nan  amf  beast* 

In  this  desolate  region  vegetation 
assumes  its  wildest  forms;  the  pear 
cactus  grows  to  large  proportions,  bear- 
ing a  fruit  called  "terxa"  eaten  by  the 
natives;  the  Spanish  bayonet,  with  its 
slender  green  leaves,  readies  a  height 
of  twenty-five  feet  or  more  ;  the  nopal 
or  cactus  tree  assumes  the  strangest 
of  forms;  the  magiuy  or  aloe,  often 
called  the  "centmy  plant,"  covers 
thousands  of  acres,  ai  laming  -^  height 
of  Lioiii  ten  to  fifteen  feet.  From  this 
is  made  the  national  drink,  **  pulqme" 
the  fermented  sap  of  the  plant.  It  has 
a  miflrHJi  appearance,  and  possesses  an 
r.~~.  :r 


116 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


Mescal  is  also  made  from  the  same 
plant. 

Nearing  the  City  of  Mexico,  we  see 
the  pack  trains  of  the  ever-faithful  burro 
— that  little  animal  without  which,  it  is 
said,  Mexico  could  hardly  exist — loaded 
down  with  live  chickens  and  vegetables 
for  the  city  markets. 

In  the  fields  a  dozen  yoke  of  oxen, 
attached  to  a  single  plough,  are  lazily 
driven  by  a  sleepy  peon,  his  shining 
body  naked  save  for  a  small  cloth  sus- 
pended from  the  waist,  glistening  in 
the  sun.  Great  herds  of  goats,  highly 
valued  for  their  hides,  graze  in  the 
fields. 

It  is  early  morning  as  we  approach 
the  city,  and  through  the  clear  atmos- 
phere can  be  seen  the  celebrated  vol- 
cano, Popocatapetl,  17,700  feet  high, 
being  the  highest  mountain  but  one  in 
North  America. 

Seated  at  the  open  window,  the  vel- 
vety softness  of  the  morning  air  gave 
"7 


A  Mexican  Cock-Fight 


us  new  life ;  we  saw  arise  that  ball  of 
gold  so  soon  to  illuminate  yonder  val- 
ley. The  city  allured  us  on,  its  towers 
and  domes  glittering  as  the  last  star 
faded  from  view  and  the  morning  rays 
broke  forth,  presenting  a  scene  of 
striking  beauty. 


118 


City  of 


A  Morning  Entry — Street  Scenes — Flower 
Girls  and  Beggars — A  Favorite  Drive — 
Night  Aspects — The  Paseo  and  Canal — 
A  Passion  Play — Guadalupe. 

THE  rosy  morning  was  just  steal- 
ing forth  as  we  entered  the  City 
of  Mexico ;  the  morning  star,  with  its 
solemn  eye  of  light,  looked  down  from 
out  the  brightening  sky  on  the  great 
slumbering  city — its  many  pinnacles 
and  domes  standing  out  in  strong  relief 
against  the  glowing  heavens.  Strange 
thoughts,  that  always  fill  one's  mind  on 
entering  an  old  city — a  city  steeped  in 
the  lore  of  history  and  traditions,  and 
brimming  over  with  legends — crowded 
upon  us. 

Our  feelings  and  fancies   are   envel- 
oped in  an  atmosphere  of  poetry  and 
119 


The  City  of  Mexico 


romance  as  we  gaze  about  us — the  old, 
odd  buildings  seemed  to  speak  to  us 
of  ages  and  a  tribe  long  since  passed 
away,  and  make  us  feel  that  this  world 
can  go  on  without  us  if  we  would  but 
think  so. 

We  had  hardly  stepped  forth  into 
the  street  when  there  fell  on  our  ear 
the  shuffling  tramp  of  a  body  of  march- 
ing men  ;  we  turned,  only  to  behold  a 
band  of  professional  convicts — desp'er- 
ate  characters,  so  we  were  told — guard- 
ed by  officers  with  drawn  revolvers; 
a  more  hardened,  desperate-looking 
set,  it  has  never  been  our  lot  to  see ; 
their  iron  bracelets  clanked  a  dismal 
tune  as  they  sullenly  went  their  way  ; 
such  filth  and  degradation  can  hardly 
be  conceived.  We  carried  away  with 
us  a  lasting  souvenir  of  the  stench- 
laden  atmosphere.  And  yet  there  was 
a  horrible  fascination  in  closely  observ- 
ing them,  as  a  study  of  morbid  mental 
anatomy, — the  anatomy  of  a  being 

120 


The  City  of  Mexico 


whose  mental  constitution  is  so  de- 
praved, so  lost  to  all  sense  of  honor  as 
to  seemingly  take  delight  in  deeds  of 
crime. 

Our  sympathies  always  have  been 
with  the  poor,  helpless  worm  that  the 
ever-glorified  early  bird  captures,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  hour,  we  were  cap- 
tured by  the  ever-present  cabman,  who 
bore  down  upon  us,  overpowering  us 
with  his  wild  gestures  and  torrent  of 
Spanish  overflow,  not  one  word  of 
which  could  we  understand,  in  spite  of 
the  careful  study  of  our  phrase-books 
for  two  whole  days  before. 

An  informal  inspection  of  our  baggage 
by  the  customs,  over,  found  us  whirling 
in  one  of  the  noisest  of  cabs  to  the  hotel. 
All  cabs  are  required  by  law  to  display 
on  a  flag-pole,  about  six  inches  high, 
erected  by  the  side  of  the  driver,  a 
green,  blue,  red,  or  white  flag,  the  color 
designating  the  grade  of  the  cab  and 
the  price  per  hour  ;  a  green  flag  being 


The  City  of  Mexico 


first-class,  and  so  on ;  when  engaged 
the  flag  is  hauled  down. 

After  being  carefully  delivered  at  the 
hotel,  we  mount  to  our  rooms,  phrase- 
book  in  hand.  Desiring  some  creature 
comforts  which  were  wanting  in  our 
rooms,  we  lustily  called,  "Camarista  " — 
(chambermaid) — when  a  little  sallow- 
faced  fellow,  who  looked  as  though  he 
had  just  dropped  from  a  Christmas- 
tree,  came  running  to  us,  and,  with  the 
regulation  gestures  and  antics,  per- 
suaded us  that  he  was  the  chamber- 
maid !  And  throughout  our  travels  in 
Mexico  we  found  men  generally  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity. 

The  City  of  Mexico,  capital  of  the 
republic,  with  a  population  of  about  a 
quarter  of  a  million,  as  is  well  known, 
is  situated  on  ground  that  was  for- 
merly an  island  in  Lake  Texcoco.  The 
name  is  derived  from  Mexitli,  the 
Aztec  war-god. 

In  brief,  the  story  of  its  origin  runs 

122 


The  City  of  Mexico 


thus:  The  Aztecs,  while  wandering 
about  the  country,  met  a  rival  tribe, 
the  Colhuans ;  being  defeated  in  battle 
and  pursued,  they  marched  to  the  val- 
ley of  Mexico.  An  oracle  had  com- 
manded them  not  to  found  a  city  until 
they  had  come  to  a  spot  where  an 
eagle  should  be  seen  standing  on  a 
rock.  They  shortly  after  beheld,  in 
their  wanderings,  an  eagle  perched  on 
a  cactus  growing  out  of  a  rock ;  hence 
they  founded  a  city,  calling  it  Tenoch- 
titlan — meaning  "  cactus  upon  a  rock." 
Under  this  name  it  was  the  capital  of 
the  old  empire  of  Anahuac. 

Hence  on  the  national  flag,  as  also 
on  some  of  the  coins,  will  be  seen  the 
device  of  an  eagle  with  a  serpent  in  its 
beak,  perched  on  a  cactus  protruding 
from  a  rock.  The  city  has  an  eleva- 
tion of  7400  feet  above  the  sea  level, 
and  a  mean  temperature  of  60°  Fahr. 

A  stroll  through  the  streets  reminds 
one,  in  some  respects,  of  portions  of 
123 


The  City  of  Mexico 


Paris.  They  are  straight,  many  of 
them  broad  and  attractive.  French- 
looking  shops  adorn  the  principal 
street,  which  leads  from  the  Plaza 
Mayor  to  the  Alemada,  the  favorite 
rendezvous  of  the  citizens.  The  for- 
mer is  situated  opposite  the  great  Ca- 
thedral, the  largest  in  North  America, 
an  edifice  begun  in  1573,  and  completed 
in  1667,  at  a  cost  of  $1,800,000. 

It  covers  a  space  of  about  400  x  200 
feet.  The  architecture  is  an  irregular 
mixture  of  Gothic  and  Italian  styles. 
Two  majestic  ornamented  towers  with 
statues,  stand  some  two  hundred  feet 
high.  The  interior  is  rich  with  superb 
paintings  and  numerous  crucifixes  and 
candlesticks  of  gold  and  silver,  adorned 
with  jewels. 

Here  one  sees  gathered,  at  almost 
any  time  of  day  or  night,  the  scantily 
clad  peon,  bending  low  in  prayer,  never 
for  one  moment,  however,  unmindful 
of  his  cigarette,  which  still  smokes 
124 


The  City  of  Mexico 


from  his  sallow,  bony  fingers.  Again 
the  richly  costumed  Spanish  beauty, 
with  languishing  manner,  kneels  near 
by,  her  beautiful  hair  artistically  "  dis- 
arranged "  over  her  shapely  head. 

On  another  side  of  the  Plaza  Mayor 
is  the  palace,  the  largest  building  in 
Mexico,  measuring  nearly  six  hun- 
dred and  eighty  feet.  Many  rare 
paintings  are  here  found,  and  the  cele- 
brated Maximilian  coach.  In  the  cen- 
tre of  the  Plaza  is  the  Zocalo,  where 
concerts  are  given  on  certain  days. 
This  is  the  place  to  see  a  most  pic- 
turesque gathering  of  the  natives  of 
all  grades  and  classes,  many  of  them  in 
striking  and  attractive  costumes,  stroll- 
ing, lolling,  and  chatting,  while  listen- 
ing to  the  music,  which  is  of  a  high 
order,  generally  performed  by  the  mili- 
tary band. 

A  select  party  of  gentlemen,  stand- 
ing near  by,  probably  men  of  leisure, 
are  arrayed  for  an  afternoon  stroll,  each 
125 


The  City  of  Mexico 


with  a  handsome  sombrero  of  light 
gray  color,  made  of  felt,  having  a  very 
wide  brim,  the  crown  trimmed  with 
silver  braid,  the  brim  heavily  embroid- 
ered with  silver  thread  ;  a  short  jacket 
trimmed  with  braid,  and  tight-fitting 
trousers,  studded  down  the  side  with 
glittering  silver  buttons. 

Within  a  few  feet  comes  the  ever- 
present  beggar,  one  of  the  pests  of 
Mexico,  bareheaded,  with  trousers  that 
have  existed  through  unnumbered  gen- 
erations, the  remnant  of  which  is  hardly 
sufficient  to  cover  one  limb,  the  only 
other  covering  to  his  body  consisting  of 
a  shirt  so  tattered  as  to  reveal  beneath 
his  dark  scaly  skin. 

The  foreigner  is  a  favorite  mark  for 
a  beggar.  He  crawls  up  to  you  with  a 
groan  that  would  break  the  heart  of  a 
paving-stone,  crosses  himself,  and  looks 
unutterable  things.  You  gladly  toss 
him  a  medio  (6\  cents),  and  quickly 
seek  a  purer  atmosphere. 
126 


The  City  of  Mexico 


A  little  farther  on  a  young  Mexican 
girl,  whose  parents  have  a  stand  at  the 
flower-market  near  by,  where  the  choic- 
est and  most  exquisitely  arranged  bou- 
quets can  be  had  at  absurdly  low 
prices,  stands  drinking  in  the  music, 
while  plying  her  trade  among  the 
throng.  She  well  understands  the  art 
of  selling,  in  her  simple,  pretty  cos- 
tume, rather  decollett,  her  head  uncov- 
ered, her  bodice  fitting  closely  to  her 
pretty  figure,  the  short  skirt  girded 
closely  to  the  limbs.  She  was  a  pic- 
ture there,  with  a  bunch  of  crimson  and 
white  flowers  in  her  hand,  which 
seemed  to  blend  their  delicate  tints 
with  her  pretty  olive  complexion — the 
gentle  breeze  softly  stirring  her  loosely 
arranged  hair,  catching  the  last  bright- 
ness of  the  sun's  rays. 

We  stand  admiring  the  scene,  much 
of  which  was  beautiful,  and  all  was 
striking  and  interesting,  when  our  med- 
itation is  interrupted  by  a  hollow 
127 


The  City  of  Mexico 


whisper  in  our  ear,  and,  turning,  be- 
hold another  beggar,  an  old  woman. 
A  rapid  inventory  of  her  features  made 
our  blood  stand  on  end  (let  us  say). 
Such  a  countenance,  such  rags  we  had 
never  seen.  Another  medio,  and  we 
quickly  escape. 

Sauntering  behind  come  a  quartette 
of  Spanish  ladies,  doubtless  of  the 
higher  order — the  elderly  ladies  digni- 
fied and  haughty ;  the  younger  ones 
pretty  and  graceful.  Not  all  Mexican 
women  are  pretty,  but  certainly  many 
of  them  render  themselves  attractive 
by  means  best  known  to  themselves. 
The  delicate  and  refined  outlines  of 
their  features,  the  soft  tint  of  their  rich 
complexions,  the  dreamy  expression  of 
their  large,  dark,  quiet  eyes,  added  to 
great  symmetry  of  form,  make  them 
strangely  fascinating. 

One  of  the  most  attractive  drives  is 
the  Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  or  Calzada 
de  Chapultepec,  laid  out  under  the  su- 
128 


The  City  of  Mexico 


pervision  of  Maximilian.  It  is  a  spa- 
cious avenue,  several  miles  in  length, 
adorned  with  monuments  and  statues 
of  high  merit ;  an  imposing  monument 
of  marble  and  bronze  erected  in  honor 
of  Christopher  Columbus  stands  out  in 
bold  relief  against  the  sky,  being  one 
of  the  most  attractive. 

At  certain  distances  circular  spaces 
some  three  hundred  feet  in  diameter, 
called  Gloriettas,  are  devoted  to  monu- 
ments. This  grand  drive  leads  to  the 
celebrated  grove  and  castle  of  Chapul- 
tepec.  The  grove,  once  a  swamp,  is  now 
overgrown  with  cedars  of  magnificent 
proportions,  some  of  them  attaining  a 
size  of  forty  feet  in  circumference,  their 
mighty  limbs  fringed  with  beautiful 
gray  Spanish  moss,  so  abundant  there. 

The  castle  occupies  a  commanding 
position  on  a  rocky  hill  considerably 
above  the  plain.  The  President  of  the 
republic  resides  here  in  princely  style, 
and  the  National  Military  School  has 
129 


The  City  of  Mexico 


its  quarters  within  the  walls  of  the 
structure.  The  view  from  the  castle 
is  one  of  unsurpassed  beauty ;  the  city 
below,  the  mountains  in  the  distance, 
the  cultivated  fields,  all  aiding  to  cre- 
ate a  panorama  of  rare  beauty. 

The  return  drive  late  in  the  after- 
noon through  the  noble  avenue  of 
trees  was  most  charming.  The  soft 
air,  fragrant  with  the  breath  of  the 
mountain  and  plain,  served  to  fit  us 
still  more  to  enjoy  the  scene ;  the 
gentle  breezes  fanned  our  cheeks,  after 
the  heat  of  the  day;  the  coolness  and 
the  twilight  seemed  to  descend  like  a 
benediction  upon  the  earth. 

Showy  equipages,  with  pretty,  laugh- 
ing women,  dashed  past  us ;  officers  in 
their  gold-braided  uniforms  and  with 
clanking  spurs,  riding  handsome  horses, 
accompanied  by  prancing  ponies  lashed 
by  delicate  hands,  passed  in  quick  suc- 
cession. In  the  distance,  reaching  up 
into  the  skies,  stood  grave  and  wor- 
130 


The  City  of  Mexico 


shipful  the  grand  volcanoes  Popocate- 
petl and  Iztaccihuatl,  the  former  about 
17,000  feet  high. 

Reaching  the  city  by  twilight,  we 
enter  one  of  the  fashionable  restau- 
rants, where  are  gathered  the  wealthier 
Mexicans  for  dinner.  Near  at  hand 
are  palms  and  pretty  plants,  from  the 
midst  of  which  rises  a  cooling  fountain, 
its  sprays  of  sparkling  waters  serving 
to  refresh  the  evening  air.  Many  of  the 
ladies,  while  sipping  their  Media  taza 
cafe,  gracefully  puff  sweetly-scented 
cigarettes  held  in  pretty  silver  holders. 

A  walk  about  the  city  at  night  pre- 
sents many  odd  scenes ;  the  narrow, 
crooked  streets,  with  beautiful  old  bal- 
conies overhanging  the  way,  on  which 
whole  families  assemble  clad  in  airy, 
light-colored  garments,  is  one  of  the 
interesting  characteristics.  The  houses 
are  built  of  heavy  masonry,  with  stair- 
ways of  stone,  everything  being  fire- 
proof. 

131 


The  City  of  Mexico 


Entering  one  of  them,  we  find  an 
open  courtyard  or  patio,  adorned  in 
the  centre  with  statuary,  flowers,  and  a 
fountain  ;  passing  on,  we  look  into  the 
wide-open  doorway  of  another  house, 
occupied  by  those  of  the  poorer  classes. 
A  few  earthern  pots,  two  or  three  large 
stones  on  which  to  grind  their  corn  are 
visible ;  near  the  door  is  a  woman  on 
her  knees,  grinding  corn  for  tortillas. 
A  young  girl  mixes  it  with  water,  pats 
it  into  flat,  round  cakes,  and  puts  it  to 
bake  on  a  stove.  We  invested  in  a  few, 
but  did  not  repeat  the  purchase. 

The  streets  are  well  guarded  at  night 
by  police ;  at  the  intersection  of  the 
streets  there  stands  in  the  centre  a  guar- 
dia  civil  with  a  lantern ;  hence  in  a  sud- 
den emergency,  an  officer  is  readily 
found.  In  the  centre  of  the  city  is  the 
Alemada,  a  beautiful  park,  with  foun- 
tains, and  walks,  and  abundant  growth 
of  trees  and  plants.  In  many  parts  of 
the  city,  even  in  the  better  localities, 
132 


The  City  of  Mexico 


an  unpleasant  and  unhealthy  odor 
arises.  There  being  no  sewers,  it  is 
what  might  be  expected. 

Churches  abound,  and  we  pass  them 
seemingly  on  every  side;  their  towers  and 
domes  clearly  outlined  against  the  sky, 
assist  in  rendering  the  scene  impressive. 

The  city  was  once  a  collection  of 
nunneries  and  monasteries,  and,  while 
the  large  gloomy  buildings  still  exist, 
they  are  now  used  for  schools  and  other 
purposes. 

The  evening  air  is  soft  and  pleasant, 
and  we  linger  in  the  streets  until  the 
clocks  notify  us  that  the  small  hours 
are  near  at  hand ;  but  this  season  of 
the  year,  called  el  extio — the  dry  season 
— makes  us  feel  as  though  we  were 
sacrificing  much  to  go  in-doors  and  shut 
out  such  lovely  air.  The  other  season, 
la  estacion  de  las  aquas,  or  the  rainy 
season,  comprising  the  months  of  June, 
July,  August,  and  September,  is  damp 
and  consequently  less  agreeable. 
133 


The  City  of  Mexico 


An  early  morning  start  brings  us  first 
to  the  flower-market.  Whole  families 
seated  about  are  busily  engaged  in  ar- 
ranging flowers  of  rare  beauty  and  frag- 
rance. Such  a  wealth  of  roses  !  Their 
sweet  breath  has  a  language  more  elo- 
quent than  words.  The  flower-girls,  with 
their  olive  complexions  and  brilliant 
eyes  of  jet,  their  white  teeth,  beautiful 
hair  in  long  braids  carelessly  swung 
over  well-rounded  shoulders,  with  skirts 
gathered  short  to  the  uncorseted  waist, 
nimbly  ply  their  delicate  fingers  so 
rapidly  that  they  weave  bouquets  as  it 
were  by  magic,  the  roses,  the  lilies,  and 
the  forget-me-nots  dropping  into  their 
places,  and  forming  garlands  and 
wreaths  of  endless  variety. 

Then  to  the  market  square,  near  the 
palace,  where  a  throng  of  lazy  men  and 
loosely-dressed  women,  with  robust 
voices,  implore  you  to  purchase  almost 
every  article  of  household  necessity, 
including  fruits  and  vegetables.  Water- 
134 


The  City  of  Mexico 


carriers,  with  their  earthen  jars  slung 
over  their  heads,  are  passing  to  and 
fro,  delivering  the  morning  supply  of 
water  from  house  to  house. 

The  little  burro,  that  tiny  quadruped 
so  necessary  to  Mexicans,  hardly  yet 
awake,  is  pushed  along  by  his  master. 
The  little  fellows,  in  groups  of  a  dozen 
or  more,  are  loaded  down  with  every- 
thing from  a  chicken  to  a  stove.  The 
slightest  laxity  on  the  part  of  his 
master,  and  he  stops  short  to  nibble  at 
the  nearest  thing  at  hand,  be  it  an  old 
shoe  or  a  tin  can.  The  question  was 
once  asked,  "  Can  a  burro  driver  be  a 
Christian?'*  the  answer  being,  "  He 
might  if  he  tried  very  hard,  but  he 
would  have  to  give  up  driving  burros.'* 

Mexico  presents  few  scenes  of  in- 
tenser  interest  than  the  Paseo  de  la  Viga 
and  the  canal  adjoining  it ;  it  is  well 
worth  the  ride  in  the  horse-cars  to  visit 
it,  especially  during  Holy  Week.  The 
journey  is  one  of  unbroken  interest. 
135 


The  City  of  Mexico 


The  dignified  Mexican  lady  and  her 
two  daughters  opposite  to  us  in  the 
cars  puff  their  cigarettes  with  an  air  of 
elegance  as  though  they  knew  they 
were  doing  the  correct  thing  ;  the  Mexi- 
can gentleman  near  by  holds  his  pretty 
baby  as  she  plays  with  and  pulls  at  the 
vicious-looking  revolver  suspended  at 
his  side ;  while  his  well-powdered  wife 
chats  with  a  bedecked  officer. 

Following  us,  on  the  same  track, 
comes  an  open  car,  painted  black  and 
hung  with  mourning;  in  the  centre, 
elevated  on  a  narrow  platform,  in  full 
view,  is  a  coffin — a  hearse,  indeed,  on 
its  sad  errand. 

Approaching  the  more  sparsely  set- 
tled districts,  bands  of  goats  are  seen 
nibbling  among  cacti  and  thorny  plants. 
These  animals  are  reared  in  large  num- 
bers through  the  whole  country  for 
their  tallow,  the  milk  being  little  used  ; 
a  good  fat  goat  yielding  about  ten 
pounds  of  tallow;  hence  the  poorer 
136 


The  City  of  Mexico 


classes  derive  a  revenue  of  some  conse- 
quence from  breeding  the  animal. 

On  the  larger  estates — haciendas — 
these  animals,  as  well  as  sheep,  which 
are  also  largely  bred  for  their  tallow, 
rather  than  the  wool,  which  is  inferior, 
are  reared  in  immense  herds ;  also 
cattle,  mules,  and  horses ;  herds  of 
8000  and  10,000  are  often  seen  on  one 
estate.  The  vaqueros,  or  herdsmen, 
who  live  among  the  herds,  are  probably 
the  most  daring  horsemen  in  the  world. 

We  have  now  arrived  at  the  Paseo 
de  la  Viga  and  the  canal  of  the  same 
name  running  parallel  with  it.  The 
scene  is  a  busy  one.  The  Aztec  boat- 
men are  bringing  in  on  their  flat- 
bottomed  boats  or  canoes,  from  the 
so-called  floating  islands,  the  vegetables 
for  the  market. 

Scores  of  Indians  are  there,  with 
rafts  on  which  is  constructed  an  awn- 
ing. We  hire  one  ;  and  reclining  on  the 
bottom,  the  Indian  skilfully  "  poles  " 
137 


The  City  of  Mexico 


it  up  the  stream  as  he  chants  a  tune, 
doubtless  of  his  own  composition. 
Canoes  are  shooting  in  every  direction, 
some  loaded  with  vegetables,  others 
with  human  freight. 

The  chinampas  or  floating  islands 
are  really  a  thing  of  the  past,  but  the 
sail  through  the  narrow  canals  cut  in 
the  marshy  soil,  where  fruits,  vege- 
tables, and  flowers  grow  abundantly,  is 
enchanting.  Some  of  the  canoes  are 
gaily  ornamented,  some  have  mandolin 
players,  the  delicate  music  blending 
sweetly  with  the  ripple  of  the  water  as 
the  canoes  dart  back  and  forth. 

Along  the  banks  the  natives  in  their 
picturesque  costumes  are  gathered  in 
large  numbers.  It  is  Holy  Week,  and 
many  are  making  a  holiday  of  it ;  some 
are  indulging  in  their  favorite  drink, 
pulque,  others  in  orchatay  chia,  and 
other  Mexican  beverages  ;  all  are  smok- 
ing as  usual ;  the  lottery-ticket  vender 
pleadingly  urges  you  to  buy,  as  he  or 
138 


The  City  of  Mexico 


she  thrusts  a  ticket  into  your  face ;  the 
children  are  assisting  in  the  babel  by 
vigorously  twirling  the  matracas,  a 
rattle  producing  a  shrill  sound  in- 
tended to  represent  and  ridicule  the 
cries  of  the  Jews,  "  Crucify  Him/*  as 
they  followed  Christ  to  His  death. 

Beyond  is  the  Euramada,  a  long 
arbor-like  summer-house,  under  which 
is  playing  the  military  band,  the  music 
being  of  rare  excellence.  The  tech- 
nical brilliancy,  the  deft  gradation  of 
tonal  coloring,  the  intensity  of  feeling 
with  which  it  was  rendered  was  indeed 
alluring. 

The  spacious  avenue,  bordered  with 
trees,  presented  a  scene  that  few  cities 
can  surpass  in  point  of  brilliancy ; 
elegant  carriages  of  every  variety, 
drawn  by  spirited  horses  in  richest 
harness,  rolled  briskly  along;  eques- 
trians of  all  ages,  seated  on  saddles, 
which  in  many  cases  are  studded  with 
buttons  of  gold,  dash  past,  a  glistening 
139 


The  City  of  Mexico 


revolver  being  in  most  cases  a  conspic- 
uous part  of  their  "  get-up."  With 
hardly  an  exception  all  are  superior 
riders,  possessing  grace  and  dash  rarely 
seen  elsewhere. 

We  return  by  another  route,  driving 
over  a  shaded  road,  the  fierce  rays  of 
the  sun  at  times,  however,  penetrating 
the  abundant  foliage,  scorching  us  in 
spots.  The  adobe  one-story  houses  of 
the  poorer  classes  were  dotted  along 
the  roadside  ;  the  laborers  were  having 
their  usual  midday  siesta  of  about  three 
hours,  and  few  were  visible.  By  the 
roadside  flowed  a  stream — careless  and 
indolent,  it  seemed  to  love  the  country 
and  was  in  no  haste  to  reach  its  destina- 
tion ;  a  few  children  were  wading  and 
playing  in  the  cool  water,  while  seated 
on  the  bank,  about  preparing  for  a 
bath,  and  engaged  in  earnest  conversa- 
tion, were  two  women  in  nature's 
broadcloth  ;  they  seemed  quite  indiffer- 
ent to  our  presence. 
140 


The  City  of  Mexico 


During  the  afternoon  we  witnessed 
one  of  the  strangest  customs  of  this 
strange  country — the  burning  of  the 
Judases ;  figures  as  large  as  life,  repre- 
senting Judas  Iscariot,  were  perched 
up  on  poles,  and  in  many  instances 
strung  across  the  street  from  house  to 
house,  filled  with  firecrackers  and  other 
noisy  explosives,  and  amid  the  shouts 
of  the  people  and  the  ear-piercing 
rattle  of  the  matracas,  these  images 
are  exploded  and  burned,  creating  a 
wild  scene. 

The  theatres  are  more  numerous  than 
attractive.  We  sat  for  ten  hours  wit- 
nessing the  celebrated  "  Passion  Play." 
Families  having  boxes  brought  along 
the  babies  as  well  as  the  family  dogs. 
They  had  their  lunch-baskets,  and 
parents  as  well  as  the  older  children 
smoked  cigarettes,  all  the  while  witness- 
ing the  play,  which  certainly  was  most 
impressive  and  solemn,  and  a  large  num- 
ber were  seemingly  deeply  affected  by  it. 
141 


The  City  of  Mexico 


The  suburb  of  Guadalupe  contains 
the  most  celebrated  sanctuary  in  the 
republic,  built  in  1622,  costing  some 
$800,000;  the  railing  extending  from 
the  choir  to  the  altar  is  of  pure  solid 
silver.  The  origin  of  its  erection  was 
told  us  by  an  aged  Mexican,  who  smiled 
as  though  he  mistrusted  our  believing 
it. 

"An  old  Indian,  named  Juan  Die- 
go, once  saw  in  a  rainbow  the  figure  of 
a  woman ;  she  told  him  she  was  the 
Virgin,  and  that  he  must  go  to  the 
Bishop,  state  what  he  had  seen,  and  say 
that  she  desired  a  temple  built  on  the 
hill  near  by;  she  ordered  him  to  pluck 
some  flowers  from  a  barren  rock,  where 
none  had  previously  grown  ;  he  did  as 
he  was  commanded,  but  at  first  the 
Bishop  paid  no  heed  to  him,  and  in 
turning  away  the  Indian  dropped  the 
flowers,  when  the  Bishop  suddenly  fell 
prostrate  on  seeing  the  image  of  the 
blessed  Virgin  seemingly  painted  on 
142 


The  City  of  Mexico 


the  cloak  of  the  Indian."  This  cloak, 
with  the  image  of  the  Virgin,  is  seen 
in  the  temple;  ribbons,  showing  the 
size  of  the  Virgin's  head,  are  sold  at 
the  door. 

The  small  chapel  in  the  rear,  and  the 
cemetery  are  full  of  interest.  Our  an- 
tiquated informant  solemnly  ushered 
us  around  the  cemetery,  explaining 
points  of  interest.  On  some  tomb- 
stones was  carved  the  word  "  Perpetu- 
idad"  These,  he  explained,  meant 
that  the  families  owned  the  plot  and 
the  monuments  for  ever,  paying  for 
such  the  sum  of  $250.  A  payment  of 
$100  secured  the  plot  and  monument 
to  the  purchaser  for  a  period  of  six 
years,  after  which  time  the  plot  as  well 
as  the  monument  or  tombstone  could 
be  resold  to  others.  Small  altars,  can- 
dles, lamps,  and  trinkets  adorn  many 
of  the  graves. 

We  do  not  attempt  a  description  of 
the  museum,  where  pictures  of  rare 
143 


The  City  of  Mexico 


merit  of  the  old  masters  can  be  seen. 
Again  the  Sacrificial  stone,  on  which 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of 
human  beings  have  been  sacrificed^ 
their  still  pulsating  hearts  being  cut 
out,  while  the  red  blood  of  the  victims 
streamed  down  the  deep  gutters  cut  in 
the  stone  for  that  purpose. 

Our  last  evening  was  devoted  to 
a  ride  in  the  country.  The  warm 
though  beautiful  day  had  a  fit  closing 
in  one  of  the  most  glowing  sunsets  that 
ever  brightened  earth.  We  rode  away 
over  the  roads  that  had  grown  hard 
under  the  tread  of  generations,  leaving 
behind  us  the  throngs  that  hasten  end- 
lessly through  the  crowded  city.  The 
busy  crowds — what  restlessness,  what 
fruitless  ambitions,  fainting  hopes,  des- 
perate despair,  hold  the  brains  of  these 
creatures. 

The  fresh,  green  fields  of  nature 
seem  to  rest  us.  The  broad  expanse 
of  country,  the  sweep  of  mountains 
144 


The  City  of  Mexico 


wrought  in  noble  beauty,  made  har- 
mony for  the  soul.  The  crescent  moon 
was  set  like  a  silver  signet  in  the  sky, 
and  shadows  lay  minutely  pencilled  on 
the  turf  below.  There  was  a  transparent 
stillness  in  the  air  which  it  seemed  un- 
holy to  disturb,  guarded  as  we  were  by 
the  ever-living  stars,  which  were  twink- 
ling high  in  the  sky. 


145 


in  flDeyico. 


An  Unnatural  and  Degrading  Amusement 
— Morbid  Blood  thirstiness  of  Spectators 
— Sickening  Sights — An  Illustration  of 
the  Power  of  Kindness. 

BULL-FIGHTING,  a  remnant  of 
barbarism,  still  exists  in  Mexico. 
Not  being  permitted  within  the  city 
proper,  the  bull-ring  has  been  placed 
just  six  feet  outside  the  city  limits,  and 
here  is  the  Plaza  de  Toros  del  Huisachal, 
where  the  best  bull-fighting  occurs. 

The  drive  out  through  the  beautiful 
avenue,  Paseo  de  la  Reforma,  presents 
an  opportunity  to  study  the  various 
grades  of  the  Mexican  populace.  Few 
private  equipages  were  visible,  but  hired 
cabs,  hacks,  and  every  kind  of  vehicle 
were  brought  into  requisition,  while  the 
146 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


roads  and  pathways  were  crowded  with 
throngs  of  the  lowest  and  dirtiest  of 
pedestrians,  from  the  ten-year-old  boy 
and  girl  to  the  infirm  and  aged,  all  hur- 
rying breathless  and  perspiring  to  the 
exciting  scene.  Arriving  at  the  Plaza 
de  Toros,  a  struggling  mass  of  human- 
ity is  excitedly  rushing  for  tickets  and 
seats. 

The  bull-ring  is  a  large,  circular, 
wooden  building,  roofless,  with  seats 
arranged  like  an  amphitheatre,  the  rear 
ones  and  most  elevated  being  private 
boxes — lumbreras — the  prices  for  them 
ranging  from  four  to  eight  dollars ;  the 
seats  are  classified  according  to  their 
relative  position  to  the  sun — the  entrada 
general  a  sombra,  or  general  admission 
to  the  shady  side,  being  one  dollar,  and 
the  entrada  general  d  sol  to  the  sunny 
side  being  thirty-seven  and  a  half  cents. 
The  arena  is  large,  nearly  twice  the  size 
of  an  ordinary  circus-ring. 

Outside  of  the  arena,  and  extending 
147 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


the  entire  distance  around,  is  a  strong 
board  fence  some  six  feet  in  height, 
creating  a  space  of  some  five  feet  be- 
tween the  ring  and  the  front  or  lowest 
row  of  seats.  This  is  necessary  as  a 
protection  to  the  spectators,  should  the 
bull  leap  over  the  side  of  the  ring,  which 
he  frequently  does.  Inside  the  ring, 
at  equal  distances,  are  placed  screens, 
leaving  sufficient  space  only  for  the 
body  of  a  man  between  them  and  the 
side  wall  of  the  ring  ;  these  are  resorted 
to  as  places  of  refuge  by  the  bull-fight- 
ers, when  too  closely  pursued  by  the 
bull  in  his  madness.  The  amphitheatre 
is  said  to  hold  about  twelve  thousand 
people. 

The  crowd,  to  the  number  of  at  least 
ten  thousand,  soon  fill  the  amphithea- 
tre ;  yells  and  shouts  and  the  jabbering 
of  the  mixed  crowd  fill  the  air,  and 
"Toros,"  "Toros,"  is  heard  on  every 
side.  A  wilder  and  more  restless  assem- 
blage can  hardly  be  conceived. 
148 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


We  were  allowed  a  private  view  of 
the  bulls  before  the  fighting  began,  and 
we  bravely  looked  through  the  cracks 
of  the  enclosure  in  which  they  were 
separately  corralled.  They  were  huge 
creatures,  with  restless,  sullen  eyes,  and 
horns  of  ugly  preportions,  seemingly 
shaped  for  the  purposes  of  goring. 
Returning  to  our  lumbrera,  situated 
next  to  the  judge's,  we  seated  ourselves 
as  the  time  approached. 

The  band  strikes  up  a  stirring  march 
at  the  blast  of  a  bugle  from  the  judge's 
box,  the  heavy  gates  are  thrown  open 
— all  eyes  are  turned — here  come  the 
toreadoresy  bull-fighters,  in  the  Salida 
de  la  Quadrilla,  dressed  in  fancy  bril- 
liant-colored costumes,  spangles  glitter- 
ing in  the  sun,  like  so  many  diamonds. 

All  are  bareheaded,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  the  matadores  ;  they  wear  short 
round-about  velvet  jackets,  some  black, 
some  of  crimson  and  other  glaring 
colors,  knee-breeches,  white  stockings, 
149 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


and  low  shoes  or  slippers.  Short  cloaks, 
trimmed  with  gold  lace  and  braid,  care- 
lessly thrown  over  their  shoulders,  com- 
plete their  costumes. 

They  march  forward  to  the  time  of  a 
quickstep,  foremost  being  the  mata- 
dores,  those  who  kill  the  bull  with  a 
sword,  the  heroes  of  the  day,  then  the 
bander iller os,  who  thrust  the  cruel  iron- 
barbed  darts  into  the  neck  of  the  ani- 
mal ;  next  the  capas,  who  tease  the  bull 
with  gayly  colored  cloths,  followed  by 
fas picadores  riding  on  horses,  spear  in 
hand,  with  which  to  torture  the  mad- 
dened beast,  the  horses  being  blind- 
folded to  prevent  their  fleeing  when  the 
bull  charges  them ;  finally  come  six 
richly  harnessed  mules,  three  abreast, 
with  jingling  bells  ;  these  are  to  drag 
out  the  carcasses  of  the  dead. 

They  march  around  the  ring  to  the 

cheers  of  the  multitude,  and,  halting 

before   the  judge's   box,  the  matador 

looks  up  to  receive  his  orders.     A  few 

150 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


words  in  Spanish,  and  the  bull-fighters 
distribute  themselves  around  the  ring, 
while  the  mules  are  conducted  back  to 
their  quarters.  A  pause  here  occurs, 
the  previously  tumultuous  crowd  set- 
tling into  silence. 

The  exciting  moment  has  arrived. 
All  eyes  turn  to  the  judge's  stand — he 
rises,  and  blows  a  shrill  blast  on  the 
bugle.  The  creaking  sound  of  the 
rusty  hinges  alone  breaks  the  silence, 
as  the  heavy  gates  swing  open — ten 
thousand  pairs  of  eyes  are  fixed  on  that 
spot. 

A  hasty  glance  at  that  sea  of  faces 
revealed  a  sight  never  to  be  forgotten ; 
nervous  expectant  excitement  was  de- 
picted on  every  face,  some  pale,  others 
flushed,  but  all  intent  on  one  thing. 
Another  moment's  delay,  and  in  dashed 
a  huge  black  bull,  his  head  high  in  the 
air,  his  eyes  flashing  fire.  He  pauses  a 
moment,  lashing  his  sides  in  fury  with 
his  tail,  while  pawing  the  ground  as  he 
151 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


looks  about  him,  seemingly  puzzled  at 
the  sight,  as  the  red  cloths  are  taunt- 
ingly shaken  at  him. 

From  his  back  gay-colored  streamers 
are  flying  to  the  breeze  ;  these  are  a 
portion  of  a  huge  rosette  which  is 
attached  to  a  large  hook,  and  as  the 
bull  enters  the  arena  a  man  reaches 
over  the  side  fence  and  plunges  the 
hook  into  the  animal's  back,  the  pain 
caused  thereby  serving  to  increase  the 
fury  of  the  already  excited  beast. 

The  band  strikes  up  a  brilliant  waltz, 
silence  gives  place  to  intense  excite- 
ment, and  amid  the  urgent  yells  and 
calls  of  the  crowd  to  the  capas,  they 
menacingly  run  forward,  and,  as  the 
breeze  catches  the  bright-colored  cloths, 
the  bull  lowers  his  head,  and  tossing 
his  tail  wildly  in  the  air,  he  charges  on 
the  nearest  one  at  hand — the  capa  skil- 
fully jumps  to  one  side,  leaving  the 
cloth  suspended  on  the  horns  of  the 
bull.  Tossing  it  off,  he  makes  a  rush 
152 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


for  another  of  his  tormentors  in  the 
centre  of  the  ring;  so  quick  was  he, 
however,  that  the  fleeing  bull-fighter 
reached  the  screen  a  few  inches  only 
ahead  of  the  infuriated  beast,  and  saved 
himself  by  taking  refuge  behind  it. 

The  other  capas,  seeing  the  peril  of 
their  fellow,  rushed  after  the  bull,  yell- 
ing and  waving  their  cloaks  to  distract 
him ;  the  animal,  quickly  turning,  and 
seeing  himself  encircled,  made  a  desper- 
ate charge,  chasing  them  pell-mell  across 
the  ring,  most  of  them  clambering  des- 
perately and  ungracefully  over  the  side ; 
but  one  fellow,  less  agile  than  the  rest, 
was  caught  on  the  horns  of  the  bull 
and  hurled  violently  over  into  the  front 
row  of  the  audience,  the  small  boys 
scrambling  away  vigorously  to  make 
room  as  they  beheld  the  new  arrival 
approaching.  The  fellow,  being  caught 
in  his  side,  was  badly  injured. 

While  being  carried  out  amidst  the 
cheers  of  the  crowd,  a  number  of  silver 
153 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


dollars  and  smaller  bits  of  money  were 
thrown  to  him. 

A  moment  later  a  picador,  spear  in 
hand,  driving  his  spurs  into  the  sides  of 
his  horse,  dashed  across  the  arena,  amid 
the  cheers  of  ten  thousand  voices.  At 
first  the  bull  seemed  inclined  to  retreat, 
and  apparently  was  about  doing  so, 
when  the  picador  swiftly  thrust  his 
sharp  spear  into  him,  a  stream  of  blood 
trickling  down  the  side  of  the  perspir- 
ing animal.- 

The  eyes  of  the  bull  rolled  viciously, 
he  savagely  tore  up  the  ground  with  his 
forefeet,  and  lashing  his  tail,  he  lowered 
his  huge  head  for  a  charge ;  gathering 
himself,  he  made  one  desperate  plunge, 
sending  his  horns  into  the  body  of  the 
poor  horse,  lifting  horse  and  rider  for 
an  instant  clear  into  the  air. 

The  horse  fell  on  his  side,  the  picador 
partly  under  him  ;  but  quickly  extricat- 
ing himself,  he  sought  shelter  behind  a 
screen  near  at  hand.  The  bull,  with 
154 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


bloodshot  eyes,  drew  back  as  though 
looking  for  the  picador •,  and,  seemingly 
not  knowing  just  where  to  wreak  his 
vengeance,  again  rushed  at  the  horse, 
tearing  a  yawning  gap  in  his  side,  from 
which  his  entrails  protruded.  The 
terrified,  suffering  horse  struggled  to 
his  feet  and  ran  a  dozen  yards,  but 
quickly  sank  to  the  ground,  trembling 
with  fear  and  pain — a  sickening  sight 
indeed;  he  ceased  to  move  in  a  few 
moments. 

Another  shrill  bugle  blast  from  the 
judge's  stand,  and  the  banderilleros 
come  forward  for  their  part  of  the 
sport.  They  each  hold  two  long  sharp 
barbs,  decorated  with  gayly-colored 
streamers.  Bowing  to  the  judge,  upon 
a  signal  from  him,  they  advance  to  the 
centre  of  the  ring,  holding  aloft  the 
barbs  while  advancing  towards  the  bull. 
The  already  furious  beast  needs  little 
aggravation  to  battle,  and  with  lowered 
head  he  makes  a  furious  onslaught, 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


receiving  in  each  shoulder  one  of  the 
barbs,  which  the  practised  hand 
swiftly  and  surely  thrusts  several 
inches  deep  into  the  quivering  flesh. 

A  thrust  into  the  shoulder  of  a  bull, 
however  infuriated,  invariably  causes 
him  to  pause  in  his  charge,  and  hence, 
if  the  banderillero  is  successful  in  plant- 
ing the  barbs  in  the  correct  spot,  he 
has  time  to  escape,  but  the  feat  re- 
quires him  to  come  in  dangerous  prox- 
imity to  the  horns  of  the  bull. 

Again  the  other  banderillero  runs  for- 
ward, and  amid  the  yells  of  delight  and 
approval  of  the  now  over-wild  multi- 
tude, he  thrusts  two  more  darts  into 
the  bleeding  animal,  which  feat  is  re- 
peated until  the  poor  brute  is  decorated 
with  half-a-dozen  or  more  of  these  em- 
blems of  barbarity. 

The  maddened,  bewildered,  wounded 

bull  now  stands  in  the  centre  of  the 

ring,  with  blood  oozing  from  a  dozen 

wounds.     He    bellows    loudly    in    his 

156 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


frenzy,  paws  the  ground,  and  looks 
around  at  his  tireless  tormentors. 

With  an  evident  effort  he  again 
charges  with  a  rush,  as  the  crowd 
shouts  with  delight  and  the  band  plays 
its  gayest  strain ;  almost  crazy,  and 
dizzy  from  the  loss  of  blood  he  rushes 
wildly  across  the  ring,  and  in  despera- 
tion leaps  over  the  fence.  His  hind 
feet  catching,  he  lands  in  a  heap — the 
audience  in  that  neighborhood  quickly 
scatter;  but  the  danger  is  slight  on 
account  of  the  high  protecting  fence. 
The  bull-fighters  quickly  drive  him  out 
again  into  the  ring,  and  after  more  teas- 
ing and  tormenting  the  sound  of  the 
judge's  bugle  causes  them  to  cease. 

The  gates  swing  open,  the  picadores 
retire,  and  one  of  the  matadores — neither 
of  whom  thus  far  has  taken  any  part  in 
the  sport — presents  himself  before  the 
judge's  stand,  holding  in  his  left  hand 
a  sharp  pointed  sword  about  three  feet 
long.  A  brief  command  from  the 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


judge,  he  lifts  his  broad-brimmed  som- 
brero and  vigorously  sends  it  twirling 
into  the  centre  of  the  ring — displaying 
a  head  of  black  hair,  closely  cropped, 
with  the  exception  of  the  centre  of  the 
back  of  the  head,  where  it  is  permitted 
to  grow  to  a  length  of  about  six  inches, 
this  being  tied  up  with  a  ribbon  resem- 
bling closely  a  pig-tail  as  it  stands  out 
from  the  head.  This  is  the  insignia  of 
most  of  the  famous  matadores. 

An  attendant  hands  the  matador  a 
small  flaming  red  cloth,  and  he  now 
advances  to  the  bull.  He  is  of  medium 
size,  a  man  apparently  with  muscles 
of  steel  and  nerves  like  electricity. 
Eyes  of  jet,  quick  as  lightning,  ever  on 
the  alert  and  accurately  correct,  well- 
poised  on  his  limbs,  he  steps  forward 
to  his  dangerous  task  with  a  delightful 
air  of  confidence. 

Not  every  man  with  mere  strength 
and  courage  can  be  a  matador ;  it 
requires,  in  addition  to  these  other 
158 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


characteristics,  calm,  cool  judgment  at 
a  certain  very  critical  moment.  When 
the  bull  charges  on  a  dead  run,  he  must 
stand  his  ground  until  the  horns  of  the 
beast  are  within  two  feet  of  his  breast, 
and  at  that  perilous  moment  elevate 
his  long  sword,  and  with  a  single  thrust 
sink  it  into  the  spot  where  it  cuts  the 
pulsating  heart  of  the  animal ;  a 
moment's  miscalculation,  and  his  own 
life  may  be  sacrificed. 

The  other  bull-fighters  retire  to  one 
side,  leaving  the  arena  largely  to  the 
matador  and  the  bull.  The  music  stops, 
and  silence  prevails.  The  red  shawl  is 
swung  back  and  forth  towards  the  bull, 
who  stands  across  the  ring  with  lowered 
head,  panting  and  bleeding  from  many 
wounds. 

The  keen-edged  sword  of  the  ma- 
tador glistens  as  he  elevates  it  prepara- 
tory to  giving  the  coup  de  grace.  He 
advances  coolly  but  cautiously,  his  eyes 
riveted  on  the  bull,  who,  a  moment 
159 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


later,  tossing  his  head,  comes  crashing 
forward,  straight  for  the  matador,  who 
remains  transfixed  to  the  spot  with  his 
sword  raised.  The  horns  of  the  bull 
are  just  grazing  the  breast  of  the 
matador,  whose  gleaming  steel  de- 
scends like  a  streak  of  lightning,  bury- 
ing it  to  the  hilt  into  the  quivering 
flesh,  and  the  bull,  as  if  shot,  drops  to 
the  ground,  amid  howls  of  delight 
from  the  multitude,  while  the  music 
bursts  forth  in  a  lively  strain. 

For  a  few  moments  the  matador, 
who  stands  as  a  hero,  is  showered  with 
glittering  coin  and  bundles  of  cigars, 
tokens  of  approval  from  his  blood- 
thirsty admirers. 

Jingling  bells  announce  the  approach 
of  the  mules,  who  are  driven  in  and 
quickly  attached  to  the  horns  of  the 
bull,  and,  making  one  circle  of  the 
ring,  they  bear  away  the  carcass  that  a 
few  moments  before  so  proudly  entered 
the  arena  the  ideal  of  a  noble  animal. 
160 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 

The  bulls  used  at  the  exhibition  were 
bred  for  the  purpose  at  some  distance 
from  any  habitation,  and  had  rarely 
seen  a  human  being.  Seven  of  them 
were  killed ;  some  of  them  almost  de- 
clining to  fight  until  goaded  up  to  the 
point. 

Two  handsome  animals  declined 
charging  the  matador,  thus  depriving 
him  of  the  opportunity  of  giving  the 
coup  de  grace,  hence  the  cachetero  was 
called  upon,  who,  when  the  bull  is 
rather  exhausted  and  weak,  runs  up 
behind  him  and  thrusts  a  small  dagger 
in  the  nape  of  the  neck  just  above  the 
spinal  column,  when  the  animal  drops 
dead  on  the  instant.  During  the  vari- 
ous fights  three  horses  were  ripped  open 
and  disembowelled,  a  painful  sight  ex- 
cepting to  one  thoroughly  heartless. 

During  the  afternoon  some  Mexicans 
were  constantly  addressing  foul  epithets 
toward  some  of  the  capas,  whose  actions 
they  disapproved.  Being  remonstrated 

161 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 

with  by  a  guardia  civil,  one  quickly 
drew  his  revolver  and  discharged  it  at 
him,  fortunately  hitting  no  one.  He 
fled  on  being  pursued,  when  the  officer 
quickly  drew  a  lariat,  and,  with  marvel- 
lous skill,  lassoed  him,  and  in  the 
space  of  a  few  seconds  wound  the  cord 
about  him,  binding  the  prisoner  as 
though  he  were  in  a  strait-jacket, 
picked  him  up,  and  bore  him  off. 

The  dead  carcasses  of  the  bulls  are 
sold  at  high  figures  to  the  butchers,  the 
meat  being  considered  enriched  by  the 
increased  activity  of  the  blood  just  be- 
fore being  killed. 

The  whole  exhibition  was  painful  and 
even  sickening.  The  killed  and  maimed 
horses,  the  noble  bull — a  bovine  mon- 
arch— to  be  thus  cruelly  used  to  pander 
to  the  lowest  taste  of  the  most  depraved, 
made  us  feel  as  though  in  the  progress 
of  civilization  the  time  must  be  near  at 
hand  when  such  exhibitions  will  be  a 
thing  of  the  past. 

162 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


The  power  of  kindness  over  animals 
has  been  frequently  illustrated,  but 
never  more  clearly  than  by  the  follow- 
ing incident  which  occurred  in  Spain 
some  years  ago,  an  account  of  which 
the  writer  recalls. 

Notice  had  been  posted  on  all  the 
public  places  that  on  a  certain  day  the 
bull  called  "  El  Moro "  (the  Moor) 
would  be  introduced  into  the  arena,  and 
that  when  he  should  have  been  goaded 
to  the  uttermost  fury,  a  young  girl 
would  appear  and  reduce  the  animal  to 
quiet  subjection. 

The  people  of  Cadiz  had  heard  of 
"  El  Moro "  as  the  most  magnificent 
bull  ever  brought  into  the  city,  and  it 
soon  became  known  that  the  girl  thus 
advertised  to  appear  in  so  strange  and 
daring  a  part  was  a  peasant  girl  of  Es- 
para,  who  had  petted  the  bull  and  fed 
it  and  cared  for  it  during  the  years  of 
its  growth. 

On  the  appointed  day,  as  might  be 
163 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


expected,  the  vast  amphitheatre  was 
filled  to  overflowing  with  an  anxious, 
eager  crowd.  Bulls  had  been  killed  and 
dragged  away,  and  then  the  flourish  of 
trumpets  announced  the  coming  of  the 
hero  of  the  day. 

With  a  deep,  terrific  roar  "  El  Moro  " 
entered  upon  the  scene.  He  was  truly 
magnificent — black  and  glossy,  with 
eyes  of  fire,  dilating  nostrils,  and  wicked- 
looking  horns.  Ike  picadors  attacked 
him  warily,  and  hurled  their  banderillos 
(small  dart-like  javelins,  ornamented 
with  ribbons,  and  intended  to  goad  and 
infuriate). 

The  bull  had  killed  three  horses  off- 
hand, and  had  received  eight  banderil- 
los in  his  neck  and  shoulders,  when, 
upon  a  given  signal,  the  picadores  and 
mat  adores  suddenly  withdrew,  leaving 
the  infuriated  beast  alone  in  his  wild 
paroxysm  of  wrath. 

Presently  a  soft,  musical  note,  like 
the  piping  of  a  lark,  was  heard,  and  di- 
164 


Bull-Fighting  in  Mexico 


rectly  afterward  a  girl,  not  more  than 
fifteen  years  of  age,  with  the  tasteful 
garb  of  an  Andalusian  peasant,  and 
with  a  pretty  face,  sprang  lightly  into 
the  arena,  approaching  the  bull  fear- 
lessly, at  the  same  time  calling  his  name, 
"Moro!  Moro!  Ya  voy!" 

At  the  first  sound  of  the  sweet  voice 
the  animal  had  ceased  his  fury  and 
turned  toward  the  place  whence  it  came, 
and  when  he  saw  the  girl  he  plainly 
manifested  pleasure.  She  came  to  his 
head  and  put  forth  her  hand,  which  he 
licked  with  his  tongue. 

Then  she  sang  a  low,  sweet  song,  at 
the  same  time  caressing  the  animal  by 
patting  him  on  the  forehead,  and  while 
she  sang  the  suffering  monarch  kneeled 
at  her  feet.  Then  she  stooped  and 
gently  removed  the  cruel  banderillos, 
after  which,  with  her  arms  around  "  El 
Moro's  "  neck,  she  led  him  toward  the 
gate  of  the  torril. 

165 


a  IRocfc^flDountain  picture. 

Winter  Scenes  among  the  Glaciers  of  the 
Selkirks  in  British  Columbia. 

THE  mad  torrent,  swollen  by  the 
snows  of  a  thousand  hills, 
sweeps  down  with  turbid  waves,  like  a 
falling  ocean,  in  a  mass  of  milk-like 
foam,  tossing  about  with  impetuous 
force  great  cakes  of  ice  and  heavy  logs, 
shooting  them  through  the  rocky  clefts 
as  though  urged  on  by  demon  hands. 

The  falling  snow,  lashed  into  fury  by 
the  rude  wind,  drifts  into  fantastic  forms 
as  it  lodges  on  decayed  stumps  of  old 
trees  and  on  the  jagged  rocks,  while 
huge  dome-like  piles  of  snow  constantly 
confront  us,  rendering  our  task  of  travel 
not  an  easy  one.  The  great  forest  of 
trees,  many  of  mammoth  proportions, 
are  clothed  from  root  to  branches  with 
166 


o 

z 
I- 


A  Rocky-Mountain  Picture 


a  veneering  of  glistening  ice,  producing 
an  effect  of  startling  beauty. 

As  we  work  our  way  up  the  narrow 
canons,  cut  like  enormous  trenches 
through  the  solid  rock — oftentimes 
wading  neck-deep  through  the  soft 
snow — icicles  of  gigantic  proportions, 
like  inverted  church  steeples,  hang  from 
dizzy  heights  above  us.  Occasionally  a 
thrilling  sound  falls  on  the  ear,  as  one 
of  these  monsters,  unable  to  sustain  its 
own  great  weight,  breaks  from  its  place, 
and  plunges  into  unknown  depths, 
bearing  with  it  everything  it  touches, 
the  great  rocks  about  us  serving  as  so 
many  sounding-boards  to  intensify  the 
sound. 

Ascending  some  of  the  higher  points, 
vast  snow-fields  are  before  us,  peak  after 
peak  rears  its  white  head  far  in  the 
distance,  deep  black  gorges  frown  in 
their  ugliness  near  by.  About  us  stand 
the  mountains  in  their  majestic  holy 
stillness,  held  in  the  relentless  embrace 
167 


A  Rocky-Mountain  Picture 


of  the  mighty  glaciers.  Frequently  the 
deep  thundering  sound  of  an  avalanche 
is  heard,  and  we  cautiously  examine  our 
standing-ground. 

Pushing  on,  small  glaciers  are  visible 
on  all  sides,  winding  their  way  down 
through  the  mountain  ravines.  Ahead 
of  us  one  of  the  grandest  glaciers  of 
the  Selkirks  is  visible,  pronounced  by 
some  to  be  several  hundred  feet  in 
depth — a  sea  of  ice  slowly  working  its 
course  to  the  valley  below,  doing  battle 
with  and  conquering  huge  rocks  on  its 
way. 

Here  we  see  enormous  slabs  of 
clear  green  ice,  as  big  as  the  side  of  a 
house,  tumbled  together,  some  standing 
erect,  like  immense  gravestones.  Now 
we  are  startled  by  a  sharp  crackling 
sound  which  resounds  through  the 
mountains,  as  some  large  bulk  of  ice 
topples  over,  or  settles  deeper  in  its 
place. 

One  may  read  for  a  lifetime  and  form 

168 


A  Rocky-Mountain  Picture 


no  conception  of  such  scenes  as  here 
present  themselves ;  cold  type  cannot 
reproduce  them  or  do  them  justice. 

Turning  from  the  impressive  grandeur 
of  this  enormous  field  of  ice,  the  eye 
wanders  off  to  the  "  snow-masses "  of 
the  wild  mountains.  The  ever  changing 
effect  of  light  and  shadow  on  these 
snowy  peaks  and  the  great  white  amphi- 
theatre are  before  us,  the  ensemble 
forming  a  wilderness  of  solitude.  We 
stand  and  gaze  on  the  entrancing  scene 
so  silent  and  lonely. 

This  is  the  home  of  the  big-horn 
sheep,  the  mountain  goat  and  the  bear, 
while  deer  and  wapiti  are  found  in 
plenty  farther  down.  Far  below  on 
the  mountain  trail  a  band  of  Indians 
are  jogging  along  on  snow-shoes  over 
the  deep  snow,  swaying,  in  their  usual 
shuffling  gait,  with  the  uniformity  of  a 
single  man. 

In  another  direction  we  have  a  faint 
glimpse  of  the  small  but  turbulent 
169 


A  Rocky-Mountain  Picture 


glacier-fed  Illicilliwaet  River,  the  glacial 
mud  tingeing  it  a  peculiar  pea-green 
color ;  high  above  and  beyond  are  gla- 
cial mountains  heaped  against  the 
sky. 

Before  returning  a  blaze  of  sunlight 
breaks  through  a  rift  in  the  clouds,  scat- 
tering them,  presenting  a  scene  inde- 
scribably grand,  the  vividly  blue  sky  as 
a  background,  the  white  clouds  hover- 
ing about  on  their  shadowy  wings,  the 
sea  of  ice  in  varied  colors  glistening 
and  shining  like  so  many  prisms,  the 
panorama  of  mountain,  the  whole  con- 
course of  whitened  peaks  reflecting  the 
brilliancy,  the  frosted  trees  which  catch 
the  sunshine  on  their  icy  coats,  the  soft, 
white  snow  sparkling  in  its  freshness — 
all  contribute  to  the  glory  of  the  pic- 
ture. 

The  wind  has  died  away,  as  though 

its  office  was  now  completed  ;  calmness 

pervades  the  landscape  ;    we  are  shut 

away  with  nature,  so  near  that  we  can 

170 


A  Rocky-Mountain  Picture 


almost  feel  the  throbbing  of  her  mighty 
heart.     Here  she  is  at  home. 

As  the  sun  begins  to  sink,  universal 
silence  reigns  ;  all  is  still  save  the  faint 
sound  of  the  unseen  torrent  we  had  left 
behind.  Nature  is  at  rest. 


171 


<Slueen  of  tbe  Entitles. 
i. 


Approaching  Cuba  —  The  City  of  Havana 
and  Its  Harbor  —  Morro  Castle  —  Street 
Scenes  in  a  Tropical  City  —  The  Old 
Cathedral  with  its  Tomb  of  Christopher 
Columbus  —  Holy  Week  and  Its  Impres- 
sive Ceremonies. 

THE  blue  and  brilliant  sea  was  sleep- 
ing beneath  a  cloudless  sky  as  we 
skirted  the  Florida  coast  ;  the  warm 
southern  sun  flooded  the  long  sandy 
shore,  which  glistened  like  polished 
steel,  till  it  soon  became  a  thread-like 
line  almost  lost  against  the  horizon. 
We  were  approaching  the  end  of  our 
voyage,  after  a  rather  tumultuous 
passage. 

With  the  exception  of  a  few  heroines 
who  unflinchingly  defied  the  aromatic. 
soups,   tussled   bravely  with    enticing 
172 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


tongue,  and  courageously  explored  the 
mysteries  of  pastry  opulent  with  un- 
questioned mince-meat,  all  the  ladies 
vanished  from  sight  soon  after  leaving 
port.  They  now  all  reappeared  on 
deck  like  so  many  chirping  birds  after 
a  storm,  looking  prettier  and  happier 
for  their  rest.  The  gentlemen,  with 
cigar  or  pipe,  were  sunning  themselves, 
spinning  yarns,  or  intent  over  news- 
papers several  days  old. 

A  group  were  gathered  in  another 
part  of  the  deck  devoting  themselves  to 
trolling.  After  hauling  in  a  fair  mess 
of  the  finny  tribe,  the  stout  line  com- 
menced to  jerk,  growing  taut  a^id  slack 
alternately.  It  was  apparent  that  some 
big  fellow  had  swallowed  the  red-flannel 
bait,  and,  disgusted  with  the  deception, 
was  frantically  endeavoring  to  liberate 
itself.  All  hands  laid  hold,  when,  after 
a  hard  pull,  there  floundered  on  deck, 
surrounded  by  an  admiring  crowd,  a 
huge  green  and  gold-tinted  dolphin ; 
173 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


its  beautiful  color,  however,  quickly 
faded  after  being  exposed  to  the  air. 

The  chief  officer,  with  the  traditional 
pipe  in  the  starboard  corner  of  his 
mouth,  was  being  catechised  as  to  the 
exact  time  we  would  reach  our  destina- 
tion, and  a  host  of  other  necessary 
interrogations.  The  snow-white  sea- 
gulls, "gleaners  of  the  sea/'  were  wheel- 
ing gracefully  overhead  or  resting  on 
the  quiet  water.  So  the  hours  pass, 
and  the  sunshiny  day  steals  into  twi- 
light. We  sit  and  enjoy  the  delicious 
semi-tropical  air,  as  one  by  one  the 
ever-faithful  stars  break  out  through 
the  darkened  sky,  until  the  whole 
heavens  are  spotted  with  "golden 
tears/'  which  men  call  "  stars." 

Early  morning  found  us  on  deck; 
ahead  of  us  lay  "The  Queen  of  the 
Antilles."  The  morning  was  warm  and 
vapory,  a  struggle  was  going  on  between 
the  mist  and  the  rising  sun,  and  our 
straining  eyes  only  beheld  blurred  out- 
174 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


lines  of  surrounding  objects.  But  the 
mists  were  already  ascending,  and  soon 
the  old  fort  "  Castillo  del  Morro " 
("  Morro  Castle")  stands  out  before 
us  in  strong  relief,  grim  and  hoar, 
seeming  as  if  it  had  taken  root  on  the 
bold  cliff,  while  farther  on  we  see  the 
"  Castillo  la  Cabafta,"  with  its  fortifica- 
tions on  the  "  Heights  of  la  Cabafta." 
Our  steamer  had  no  sooner  made 
fast  to  its  buoy  in  the  harbor  (few,  if 
any  vessels,  except  those  carrying  the 
Spanish  flag,  going  to  the  wharfs),  than 
we  were  surrounded  by  a  fleet  of  boats, 
hotel  runners,  and  swarthy-skinned 
native  boatmen  (guadanos\  who  by 
their  lusty  yells  endeavored  to  capture 
us  as  passengers.  The  health  officer 
having  satisfied  himself  that  all  was 
right,  we  deposited  ourselves  in  one  of 
the  small  boats,  which  in  color,  and  the 
style  of  its  canopied  awning,  resembled 
somewhat  a  gondola,  and  quickly 
pointed  for  the  shore. 
i75 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


The  city  of  Havana,  with  a  popula- 
tion of  about  250,000,  is  situated  upon 
a  tongue  of  land,  the  head  of  which  is 
protected  by  the  two  forts  previously 
referred  to.  The  streets  of  the  city 
impress  one  as  being  inconveniently 
narrow ;  the  distance  between  the  curbs 
is  about  twenty  feet,  with  sidewalks 
three  feet  in  width,  being  constructed 
thus  to  avoid  the  rigor  of  the  sun  ;  in 
some  places  large  awnings  are  stretched 
across  the  street  from  house  to  house. 

Two  of  the  principal  thoroughfares, 
O'Reilly  and  Obispo  Streets,  are  so 
narrow  that  a  city  ordinance  requires 
vehicles  to  pass  up  one  street  and  down 
the  other,  excepting  in  cases  where 
parties  have  to  stop  frequently.  Small 
victorias,  to  the  number  of  about  five 
thousand,  fairly  overrun  the  city,  driven 
in  a  manner  wild  and  reckless ;  acci- 
dents are  of  frequent  occurrence. 

People  drive  in  them  on  the  slightest 
provocation,  rates  being  very  low,  forty 
176 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


cents  in  Spanish  paper  money  (equal  to 
about  eighteen  cents  American  money) 
for  any  continuous  trip  within  the  city 
limits.  The  horses  are  puny,  miserable- 
looking  creatures,  but  rarely  fall  or  seem 
to  tire.  The  drivers  are  an  iniquitous- 
looking  lot,  dirty,  as  are  often  their 
carriages,  the  odor  of  cigarette  smoke 
seeming  to  envelop  the  whole  estab- 
lishment. 

The  hotels  are  large  and  airy,  with 
marble-tiled  floors  and  stairways  ;  both 
the  walls  and  ceilings  being  painted  in 
bright,  cool-looking  colors.  My  bed- 
room, with  a  ceiling  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  feet  high,  looked  out  on  an 
inner  open  court ;  the  clear  sky  above 
was  refreshing  to  the  eye,  but  from  the 
yard  below  an  unsavory  odor  arose. 
For  an  extended  period  in  the  past,  the 
various  occupants  of  the  rooms  on  the 
court  must  have  contributed  their  share 
of  banana-peels,  cigar  stumps,  and  gen- 
eral rubbish,  all  of  which  was  now 
177 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


festering  in  the  sun.  Here  at  night 
assembled  the  Spanish  cats  of  the 
neighborhood  to  make  their  tender  con- 
fessions, in  true  operatic  style,  upward 
through  the  whole  chromatic  scale. 

The  theatres  are  not  attractive  to  one 
accustomed  to  those  in  the  "  States  "  ; 
they  look  bare  and  uninviting.  A  visit 
to  one  of  them  of  medium  grade  proved 
of  interest.  Reserved  seats  are  sold 
either  for  the  entire  performance,  or 
can  be  had  for  each  separate  act,  an  in- 
termission of  fifteen  minutes  between 
each  act  affording  time  to  purchase 
tickets. 

The  ballet  was  the  prominent  feat- 
ure, and  for  those  fond  of  that  style  of 
entertainment  it  must  have  thorougly 
satisfied  them.  The  theatre  was  packed ; 
at  each  side  of  the  stage  stood  a  policia 
in  his  untidy  uniform. 

The  curtain  ascended,  disclosing  to 
view  a  picturesque  grouping  of  fairies 
in  draperies  that  looked  as  though  they 
178 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


had  been  spun  from  the  substance  of 
dreams*  Behind  them,  in  the  habili- 
ments of  a  king,  stood  a  repulsive-look- 
ing creature,  with  a  bovine  counte- 
nance, one  who  looked  as  though  he 
would  tackle  a  circular  saw  without 
flinching,  apparently  thus  placed  to 
bring  out  to  better  advantage  the  fair 
performers. 

In  the  centre  of  the  stage  appeared  a 
huge  lily;  as  the  orchestra  launched 
forth  into  a  thrilling  waltz,  the  fairy 
queen  emerged  from  the  flower,  her 
form  rising  like  a  tremulous  evening 
star.  She  had  a  fetching  dimple  in  her 
chin,  and  a  smile  for  all.  Her  toilette 
commenced  rather  late,  and  ended  very 
soon. 

Noiseless  as  a  feather  or  a  snow- 
flake  falls,  she  touches  the  ground  ;  her 
sylph-like  form  glides  through  the  air, 
her  footsteps  falling  as  lightly  as  a  sun- 
beam on  the  water,  the  floor  seeming 
to  bend  and  wave  beneath  her ;  a  scarf 
179 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


floated  about  her,  as  though  she  was 
resting  on  a  cloud. 

"  With  complexion  like  the  rose 

'Mid  the  snows, 
Due  to  powder  on  her  nose, 

We  suppose, 
She  twirls  upon  her  toes 

In  abbreviated  clothes, 
And  exhibits  spangled  hose 

To  the  beaux." 

The  audience  of  pale-faced,  excitable 
Cubans  arose  from  their  seats,  shower- 
ing her  with  all  manner  of  Spanish 
compliments,  growing  wild  with  en- 
thusiasm. Sitting  through  a  single  act 
in  clouds  of  cigarette  smoke  quite  satis- 
fied our  curiosity. 

The  Cathedral,  the  foundation  of 
which  was  laid  in  1656,  and  completed 
sixty-eight  years  later,  is  of  Gothic  and 
Latin  architecture.  It  contains  the 
tomb  of  Christopher  Columbus,  whose 
ashes  lie  in  a  vault  of  the  Cathedral. 

As  is  well  known,  at  the  ripe  old  age 
180 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


of  seventy-one  he  died  in  1506,  in  Val- 
ladolid,  Spain,  where  he  was  buried 
with  great  funeral  pomp.  In  1513  his 
remains  were  transported  to  a  convent 
at  Seville,  and  deposited  in  the  chapel 
of  Santa  Christo  ;  again  in  1536  they 
were  removed  to  Hispaniola,  and  in- 
terred in  the  Cathedral  of  the  city  of 
San  Domingo.  On  the  cession  of  His- 
paniola to  the  French  in  1795,  the 
Spaniards,  valuing  his  remains  as 
precious  relics,  connected  with  the 
greatest  epoch  in  Spanish  history,  de- 
termined to  bring  them  to  Cuba,  and 
on  December  20,  1795,  in  the  presence 
of  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  also  civil 
and  military  officials,  the  vault  was 
opened. 

Finding  the  fragments  of  a  leaden 
coffin,  a  number  of  bones,  and  a  quan- 
tity of  mould,  they  were  carefully  col- 
lected, placed  in  a  leaden  case,  secured 
by  an  iron  lock,  this  again  being  en- 
closed in  a  velvet-covered  casket.  Amid 
181 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


chanting  of  masses,  booming  of  artil- 
lery, and  an  imposing  procession,  the 
remains  were  conducted  to  the  ship. 

On  the  arrival  in  Havana,  they  were 
received  with  great  ceremony,  and  con- 
veyed to  the  Cathedral,  being  deposited 
at  the  side  of  the  grand  altar.  Thus  at 
the  very  port  from  which  three  hundred 
years  previous  he  had  been  carried  off, 
loaded  with  ignominious  chains,  and 
apparently  blasted  in  fame  and  fortune, 
his  ashes  were  now  received  with  august, 
impressive  solemnity  and  devout  re- 
spect. 

At  the  side  of  the  altar  is  a  bust  in 
relief  of  the  great  man,  with  a  tablet 
bearing  the  inscription : 

"  Oh  !  restos  e  imagen  del  quande  Colon 
Mil  siglos  durad,  guardados  en  la  urna 

Y  en  la  remembranza  de  nuestra  nacion. " 

"  Oh  !  remains  and  image  of  the  great  Colon 
A  thousand  years  endure,  preserved  in  this  urn 
And  in  remembrance  of  our  nation." 

182 


ii. 

Holy  Week  in  Havana — Impressive  Pro- 
cession— Charming  Drives  and  Tropical 
Scenes — Importunate  Beggars. 

BEING  a  holy  day,  a  grand  mass 
was  being  celebrated  in  the 
Cathedral.  The  Captain-General  and 
his  suite  attended,  arrayed  in  their 
gaudy  uniforms,  the  former  coming  in 
his  carriage  with  attendants  in  red  and 
gold  livery.  The  lady  worshippers  in 
many  cases  wore  evening  costumes, 
silks,  satins,  and  laces  being  in  profu- 
sion. The  organ  with  its  golden  lips 
breathed  forth  the  sweetest  anthems, 
their  melody  echoing  through  the  great 
arches. 

During  the  afternoon  a  procession 
occurred,  composed  of  the  military  and 
priesthood.  The  narrow  streets  were 
thronged  with  a  living  mass  of  hu- 
manity in  holiday  attire. 
183 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


First  came  the  military,  a  loose-look- 
ing lot  of  men,  many  of  the  regiments 
in  linen  uniforms,  and  generally  untidy, 
with  arms  reversed,  and  hands  clasped 
in  front ;  they  marched  however  fairly 
well. 

Following  them  came  boys  in  long 
black  gowns  marching  in  single  filer 
each  one  bearing  before  him  an  emblem 
of  the  Crucifixion.  The  first  lad  held 
aloft  a  cross,  followed  by  another, 
about  twenty  feet  in  the  rear,  bearing 
three  nails,  again  another  with  a  spear, 
another  a  ladder,  the  next  a  sponge, 
the  last  one  carrying  a  crown  of  thorns. 

Following  came  priests  with  candles, 
their  eyes  cast  upon  the  ground,  and, 
with  the  slow,  measured  step  and 
solemn  music,  the  scene  was  indeed 
impressive,  as  the  platform  bearing  a 
life-size  recumbent  figure  of  the  dead 
Christ  followed. 

The  final  scene  in  the  procession  was 
a  life-size  figure  of  St.  Catherine,  dressed 
•  184 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


in  a  purple  velvet  gown  of  rather 
modern  style,  standing  erect  on  a  plat- 
form borne  by  a  number  of  barefooted 
negroes.  Unfortunately,  through  a 
mis-step  of  one  of  the  bearers,  the  plat- 
form tilted,  and  the  figure  suddenly 
took  a  plunge  headlong  into  the  street, 
remaining  for  a  few  moments  in  a 
position,  to  say  the  least,  decidedly 
undignified.  After  some  difficulty  and 
persuasion,  she  was  prevailed  upon  to 
resume  her  original  position,  and  thus 
ended  the  procession. 

The  Prado,  the  main  avenue  of  the 
city,  with  its  promenade  of  three  miles, 
is  adorned  on  either  side  with  Indian 
laurel  trees,  and  is  one  of  the  conspic- 
uous attractions  of  the  city.  In  the 
centre  of  the  Paseo  is  the  park,  in 
which  stands  a  statue  of  Isabella  la 
Cattolica,  by  the  sculptor  Vega.  A 
mob  overthrew  the  statue  on  her  ex- 
pulsion from  Spain,  it  being  reinstated 
however  when  her  son  Alfonso  XII. 
185 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


ascended  the  throne.  During  the  even- 
ing the  military  band  frequently  plays 
here,  when  the  display  of  carnages 
and  citizens  is  very  imposing. 

The  cafe's  facing  the  park  are  a  fea- 
ture of  the  city,  and  are  crowded  every 
night,  the  gentry  appearing  to  make 
them  their  chief  rendezvous.  The  most 
fashionable  of  these  resorts,  the  Grand 
Cafe*  del  Louvre,  is  very  spacious,  with 
lofty  ceilings  ;  its  wide  doors  open  on 
the  street  almost  as  though  no  wall 
intervened.  Here  assemble  the  more 
select  to  chat  while  sipping  their 
cooling  drinks,  and  wafting  circles  of 
sweet-scented  smoke  from  choice  cig- 
arettes. 

Wines  are  cheap  in  Havana,  hence 
of  course  it  has  been  decided  that 
the  water  is  not  good  !  Claret,  beer, 
and  mineral  waters  are  largely  used  by 
all  classes. 

The  climate  of  Cuba  is  very  uniform  ; 
the  mean  temperature  of  the  year  at 
186 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


Havana  is  77°  Fahr.  The  coldest  day 
is  about  60°,  the  warmest  being  seldom 
above  90°.  The  rainy  season  is  from 
May  to  November;  the  dry  season, 
called  la  seca,  prevailing  in  winter. 

The  dwelling-houses  are  mostly  built 
of  calcareous  stone,  upon  which  the 
island  itself  rests,  being  generally  two 
stories  high,  with  very  thick  walls ;  the 
windows  of  the  first  floor  being  nearly 
on  a  level  with  the  street  are  protected 
with  iron  bars,  having  solid  wooden 
shutters  inside ;  hence,  when  the  occu- 
pants of  these  apartments  desire  air 
and  light,  it  exposes  them  to  the  gaze 
of  every  inquisitive  passer-by ;  a  few  of 
the  finer  houses,  only,  having  the  shut- 
ters panelled  with  glass. 

One  large  double  front  door  serves 
as  an  entrance  for  the  occupants  of 
the  dwellings,  as  also  for  horses  and 
carriages ;  it  is  generally  adorned  by  a 
massive  knocker.  As  the  huge  door 
swings  open,  a  broad  marble-lined  pas- 
187 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


sage-way  is  before  you ;  the  house  is 
arranged  in  the  hollow-square  plan. 

In  the  homes  of  the  wealthier  class, 
the  variegated  marble  walls  and  stairs 
polished  to  a  high  degree,  present  a 
rich  appearance.  Much  of  the  finer 
marble  used  is  quarried  from  the  "  Isla 
de  Finos,"  an  island  about  seventy 
miles  southwest  of  Cuba. 

Many  parts  of  the  city  are  rendered 
offensive  by  foul  odors,  the  houses  in 
many  cases  being  drained  by  open  sur- 
face sewers ;  the  refuse  and  decayed 
matter  are  washed  into  the  gutters, 
from  which  there  arises  a  loathsome 
vapor. 

As  in  most  Spanish  cities,  beggars 
are  numerous,  and  impudently  impor- 
tunate ;  the  last  day  of  the  week  they 
come  forth  with  special  energy  to  ply 
their  vocation,  it  being  recognized  as 
"beggars*  day."  Old  women,  thin  and 
emaciated,  in  reckless  costumes,  glide 
up  to  you,  and  after  emitting  a  cloud 
188 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


of  smoke  from  the  mutilated  stump  of 
a  cigar,  pour  forth  a  volley  of  Spanish 
gibberish  ;  the  only  way  to  quiet  them 
being  either  to  toss  them  a  bit  of  silver, 
or  hurl  back  a  current  of  English  with 
a  rapidity  equal  to  their  own  style,  this 
latter  mode  being  generally  very  effec- 
tive in  its  results. 

Where  beggars  are  so  numerous  it  is 
difficult  to  sift  the  wheat  from  the 
chaff.  Blind,  diseased,  and  distressedly 
crippled  creatures  crawl  from  behind 
posts  and  trees  with  a  hollow  whisper, 
some  seeking  alms,  others  offering 
cigars  for  sale,  three  for  five  "pull- 
hards/*  also  lottery  tickets. 

The  Cuban  and  Spanish  gentlemen, 
as  a  class,  are  pale  and  delicate  in  ap- 
pearance. It  has  been  said  "  that  he 
who  drinks  beer,  thinks  beer,  and  he 
who  drinks  wine,  thinks  wine  " ;  as  a 
nation  of  inveterate  smokers,  their 
dreams  must  surely  end  in  smoke. 

Beautiful  women  are  a  rarity  in 
189 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


Havana ;  with  a  few  exceptions,  they 
are  pale  and  unattractive  ;  they  powder 
their  faces  excessively,  rendering  them 
a  chalky  whiteness.  Some  of  the  young 
girls,  before  they  have  reached  the  pow- 
dering age,  are  very  pretty. 

Visiting  a  flower  garden  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  city,  a  young  girl,  about 
eighteen  years  of  age,  came  out  to 
greet  us.  A  rare  beauty  she  was,  with 
a  complexion  of  richest  olive  tint,  well- 
rounded  cheeks  of  delicate  pink,  large 
lustrous  eyes,  overshadowed  by  long 
lashes,  while  from  her  shapely  ears  hung 
ear-rings  of  expansive  circles;  as  she 
stood  near  the  porch  of  her  humble 
home,  the  sunbeams  played  around  her 
head  like  a  halo.  She  was  indeed  a 
picture. 

A  drive  to  one  of  the  country  villas 
a  few  miles  from  the  city  afforded  us 
an  opportunity  to  view  the  luxuriant 
tropical  scenes  for  which  the  island  is 
so  justly  celebrated.  The  graceful 
190 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


palmettos,  which  bordered  the  road 
through  which  we  drove,  waved  their 
giant  leaves,  as  though  beckoning  us 
with  their  long  fingers  to  this  paradise 
of  flowers.  The  grounds  were  prolific 
with  countless  varieties  of  the  palm, 
and  brilliant  flowers,  while  profusely 
distributed  on  every  side  were  banana, 
cocoa-nut,  orange,  lemon,  olive,  and 
other  tropical  products. 

Havana  has  its  "  bull-ring "  and 
"  cock-pits,"  both  of  which  amusements 
occur  on  Sunday.  Like  in  all  Spanish 
countries,  the  natives  never  seem  to 
weary  of  the  stirring  scenes  they  pre- 
sent, and  patronize  them  liberally. 

To  those  partial  to  a  tropical  climate, 
living  in  Havana  has  many  attractions. 
The  natives  rise  early,  and  in  the  fresh- 
ness of  the  soft,  balmy  air  take  their 
coffee  and  roll ;  the  military  band  fre- 
quently plays  about  seven  A.M.,  and  in 
the  still  air  its  melody  can  be  heard  at 
a  considerable  distance. 
191 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


Business  is  attended  to  until  break- 
fast at  eleven  o'clock,  after  which  one 
returns  to  remain  until  the  hour  for 
dinner,  any  time  from  four  to  five 
o'clock,  after  which  he  rides,  drives, 
or  seeks  the  caf£  during  the  cool  of  the 
evening. 

It  is  an  easy  matter  to  get  into  Cuba, 
but  the  facilities  for  leaving  the  island 
are  fraught  with  vexations,  even  if  pos- 
sessing a  passport.  We  had  our  pass- 
ports, and  on  presenting  them  when 
applying  for  return  steamer  tickets,  a 
young  man,  with  a  low-neck  vest,  and 
a  collar  that  looked  tired,  leisurely 
brushed  the  ashes  from  his  cigarette, 
as  he  condescended  to  glance  at  the 
documents,  trying  at  the  same  time  to 
make  himself  look  taller,  by  turning  up 
his  moustache. 

Retiring  to  a  rear  office,  he  reap- 
peared with  a  gentleman  wearing  a  wide 
smile  and  a  narrow  coat,  pompadour 
hair,  and  a  black  moustache.  They 
192 


The  Queen  of  the  Antilles 


were  joined  by  another,  whose  capa- 
cious shirt-front  was  lighted  with  Koh- 
i-noors,  his  diminutive  head  surmounted 
by  a  silk  hat,  vintage  of  1850 ! 

A  long  consultation,  during  which  we 
were  thoroughly  scrutinized,  they  all 
then  disappeared,  and  we  were  left  in 
suspense.  The  gentleman  with  the  silk 
hat  soon  reappeared,  all  smiles  and 
diamonds ;  after  slowly  rolling  and 
lighting  a  cigarette,  he  returned  us 
the  passports  with  permission  to  leave 
the  island  ! 


193 


H  Weetern  Cyclone. 


Peculiar  Atmospheric  Conditions  Preceding 
the  Storm — Approach  of  the  Funnel- 
shaped  Cloud  Bringing  Death  and 
Destruction  in  its  Path — A  Scene  of 
Devastation. 

0 

AN    oppressive   sultriness   had    per- 
vaded the  atmosphere  during  the 
day,  the  heat  had  been  uncomfortable, 
and  the  earth  was  parched  and  dry  for 
the  want  of  long-needed  rain. 

Clouds  had  been  forming  on  the  hori- 
zon, with  promises  of  a  refreshing  shower 
in  the  evening, — a  welcome  boon  to  the 
sweltering  people.  Slowly  the  bank  of 
clouds  increased  in  size,  while  an  omin- 
ous greenish  tinge  appeared  in  the  sky, 
— the  air  became  hotter  and  very  close, 
great  beads  of  perspiration  stood  on  our 
foreheads,  a  strange  sensation  produced 
194 


A  Western  Cyclone 


by  the  peculiar  state  of  the  atmosphere. 
People  looked  at  each  other  with  an 
uncertain  gaze,  horses  shifted  restlessly 
and  neighed  to  each  other,  while  dogs 
whined  and  slunk  away  to  places  of 
safety. 

Here  and  there  a  gleam  like  a  glitter- 
ing dagger  flashed  from  the  darkened 
heavens,  the  sky  grew  blacker  than  ink, 
and  forked  lightning  rent  the  clouds. 
Terror  was  now  taking  possession  of 
every  one,  and  intense  fear  was  depicted 
on  each  face. 

When  suddenly  from  all  sides  the 
cry  rent  the  air — "A  cyclone,  my 
God,  a  cyclone ! "  Then  up  loomed 
in  the  distance  the  fatal  and  dreaded 
inverted  cone,  covering  a  large  part  of 
the  southern  sky.  Twisting  and  twir- 
ling, the  great  black  column,  rising  tow- 
ard the  zenith,  came  rushing  down 
toward  the  town. 

As  soon  as  the  big  double  spiral  was 
formed,  it  began  moving  at  a  terrific 


A  Western  Cyclone 


rate  in  a  zigzag  course.  Just  as  it 
reached  the  town,  the  huge  black  funnel- 
shaped  cloud  swooped  down,  a  rush  of 
wind,  a  patter  of  hail,  and  the  demon 
was  doing  its  deadly  work. 

Houses  were  lifted  bodily  and  dashed 
into  kindling  wood ;  the  air  was  soon 
filled  with  pieces  of  board,  roofs  of 
buildings,  limbs  of  trees,  and  rub- 
bish ;  tall  sturdy  trees  uprooted  and 
twisted  off  near  the  ground  were  sent 
flying  like  chaff  through  the  air ;  grave- 
stones were  thrown  flat,  and  in  many 
cases  nothing  was  left  to  show  where  a 
house  had  stood.  Railroad  cars  were 
tossed  over  like  toys,  and  the  heavy 
steel  tracks  were  twisted  and  bent  as 
though  they  were  wire. 

Far  and  near  the  prairie  was  strewn 
with  debris,  when  suddenly  the  inky 
black  cloud  seemed  to  remain  motion- 
less, then  with  renewed  vigor  it  surged 
forward  to  snatch  in  its  terrible  embrace 
everything  in  its  path. 
196 


A  Western  Cyclone 


Animals  were  hurled  through  the  air, 
furniture,  stoves,  pianos,  and  human 
forms  bruised  beyond  recognition, 
formed  a  part  of  the  flying  mass,  as 
the  force  of  the  monster  increased. 

For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  demon 
plunged  on  its  way,  and  the  terrible 
uproar  and  devastation  raged.  Then  a 
sudden  silence  came,  broken  only  by  the 
cries  and  moans  of  the  victims — a  heart- 
rending sight  indeed!  The  wails  of  the 
wounded  fell  with  sickening  distinctness 
on  the  evening  air,  now  rendered  clear 
and  bright,  also  purified  after  the  storm. 
The  dead,  mangled  and  torn  into  shape- 
less forms,  were  scattered  in  every 
direction. 

Here  the  body  of  a  mother,  crushed 
under  a  beam,  holding  in  her  arms  the 
battered  form  of  her  babe  ;  there  a  man 
struck  down  in  the  full  vigor  of  man- 
hood, with  a  hole  in  his  skull  from 
which  a  smalj  rod  of  iron  protruded. 
Farther  on,  a  whole  family  lying  dead, 
197 


A  Western  Cyclone 


covered  with  mud  and  their  own  blood. 
What  desolation  was  here,  presenting 
as  it  did,  the  aspect  of  a  battle-field 
after  a  conflict ! 

Massive  iron  railway  bridges  were 
wrenched  from  their  firm  foundations 
and  hurled  one  side  ;  heavy  iron  safes 
were  lifted  and  carried  long  distances. 

The  country  beyond  was  covered 
with  great  masses  of  rubbish  ;  every 
conceivable  kind  of  household  furniture, 
clothing,  food,  merchandise,  dry  goods, 
hardware,  and  farming  implements  were 
mixed  in  with  the  bodies  and  dismem- 
bered victims,  some  dead,  others  so 
wedged  among  the  rubbish  as  to  be 
unable  to  be  released.  Such  a  sight 
can  never  be  obliterated  from  the 
memory  of  one  who  has  ever  witnessed 
it. 

One  entire  family  living  on  the  edge 
of  the  town  was  saved  by  taking  refuge 
in  their  cellar.  The  house  was  not  car- 
ried away,  but  was  shaken  as  though  by 
198 


A  Western  Cyclone 


an  earthquake,  and  falling,  temporarily 
imprisoned  them  all.  A  few  hours' 
work  brought  them  their  liberty. 

Beside  an  uprooted  tree  lay  a  beauti- 
ful girl,  fashioned  in  one  of  nature's 
finest  moulds — no  mangled  corpse,  but 
doubtless  stunned  by  falling  timber. 
She  had  just  breathed  her  last.  Beside 
her  was  seated  a  young  girl  watching, 
her  eyes  streaming  with  tears,  dumb 
with  terror. 

Parents  were  seeking  their  children, 
and  children  their  parents  ;  husbands 
and  wives  in  agony  of  despair  were 
rushing  hither  and  thither  unable  to 
find  each  other,  while  brave  hearts  and 
strong  hands  were  aiding  their  less 
fortunate  brethren. 

A  little  girl  was  wandering  about 
among  the  wrecks  in  search  of  her  doll, 
as  she  lispingly  told  us,  whilst  rubbing 
the  sleep  out  of  her  eyes  with  her  tiny- 
hands,  not  knowing  that  all  the  rest  of 
the  family  had  perished. 
199 


A  Western  Cyclone 


One  man  was  whirled  aloft  a  hundred 
feet,  and  in  descending  dashed  with 
terrific  force  against  a  tree,  meeting 
instant  death. 

Out  among  the  ruins,  wandering  aim- 
lessly about,  was  a  rather  elderly  man. 
He  looked  haggard,  taking  no  notice 
of  the  curious  people  constantly  passing 
him  in  their  eager  search  for  friends. 
His  home  had  been  levelled  to  the 
ground,  and  he  was  loitering  near  the 
spot  where  his  house  had  stood.  He 
was  evidently  a  poor  man  with  little 
more  than  his  home. 

Approaching  him  we  asked  if  he 
had  lost  anything  besides  his  house; 
he  stopped,  reached  out  and  grasped 
our  hands  and  said,  "  My  baby;" 
he  could  say  no  more,  but  sat  down 
on  the  ruins  of  his  home;  strong 
emotion  had  unsealed  the  fountain 
of  his  eyes,  the  tears  rolling  down 
his  cheeks  as  his  voice  thickened.  His 
entire  family  had  perished,  a  wife  and 
200 


A  Western  Cyclone 


four  children.  We  could  not  say 
"  Cheer  up/*  but  passed  on,  leaving  him 
sitting  alone  and  desolate. 

As  we  wandered  away  from  the  sad 
scene,  realizing  that  in  the  brief  space 
of  fifteen  minutes  a  pretty  town  had 
been  wiped  out  of  existence,  happy 
homes  broken  up,  some  families  entirely 
gone,  others  with  but  a  few  remaining, 
they  perhaps  maimed  and  crippled  for 
life,  we  could  not  help  pondering  how 
the  sublime  mystery  of  Providence  goes 
on  in  silence,  giving  no  explanation  of 
itself. 


201 


